P4: N
by Noxmad
Summary: Nanako Dojima loved her Big Bro. However the circumstances of her near death experience as a child have caused her to question everything she knows about him. Queue the Mirror World, 8 Years Later: They say that the mirror reflects everything. And that means everything. Now to find the truth, Nanako will infiltrate the Mirror World to find the Reflection of the Truth staring back.
1. Chapter 1: Following in His Footsteps

**Author's Note: ((So if any of you recognize me from over in the inFAMOUS section of this site, do not worry, I am still slowly working on that project. Just as I am going to be slowly working on this project. Anywhoo... in regards to this story: It has been 8 Years, Nanako is now 15 and a 1st Year High Schooler who gets dragged into a world of Shadows and Personas mirroring her own, yet now she must discover what it was her Cousin went through and face up to the unexplainable part of her childhood she has long since buried. OCs heavily involved. I'm sorry (but seriously, I hope you like them). I will also be making references to actual scenes but they will be written slightly different for ease of writing, core meanings will not be changed))**

Nanako Dojima woke with a start and the visions of Heaven slowly faded from her mind. Her best friend who was sleeping in her futon could now be found on the floor like usual when she was over. Miwa had been over three times this week alone getting ready for school next the next day. Nanako had never seen her this excited to go to school. Then again, she had also never seen her friend that mad at her parents before either. Nanako looked at her clock and saw it was 5:43 AM. She might as well just get up since it was going to be going off at 6:00 AM. Nanako lifted herself off the couch in her room that she slept on when she had a guest. It just so happened to the be the one that had been in her brother's room for the year he lived here.

Nanako Dojima was 7 when her Big Bro had stopped living there. To be technical he was actually her first cousin but he had become the sibling she never got the opportunity to have and he took it in stride when he lived with her and her father. At the time, when she was much less informed about the world she had said she was going to marry him. It was cute at the time but whenever he visited she got very embarrassed if it ever got brought up into the conversation. It did not change the pure love she felt for her cousin. He was her big brother even if it was not by genetics. She made her way to the bathroom to brush her long hair and change. Nanako was much different from the girl she once had been.

Long legs sticking out from under her uniform skirt and a slender frame under her jacket. She was popular with the boys for that reason. However she was a driven student and involved in student council. If guys did express interest, she mostly ignored it or was oblivious to it as she wanted to outdo him. Yu Narukami. Nanako's hair was long. Well down to her waist and she kept it tied in the low twintails of her youth. Her idol and friend Rise "Risette" Kujikawa had shown her how to make the style look good with longer hair. After a slow and lazy process of getting ready, Nanako heard her alarm go off in the other room and her friend freaking out over waking up this way. She suddenly felt the world slip out from under her as she was absorbed into a memory from her youth.

* * *

Nanako was leaving the restroom when she heard it. A loud thump coming from her cousin's room. He had only been in the house for a few days. "Are you ok? I heard a loud noise?" She called through his door.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked back clearly more concerned for her sleep then his painful sounding crash. Nanako could not think of a way to respond so she wished a good night and assured him that she was not woken up by the noise. Nanako made her way to her room.

* * *

When she came back to, Nanako found herself back in the bathroom. Her friend finally found the will to turn off the alarm clock and slowly make her way to the bathroom as a clump of walking blankets.

Nanako looked at the blanket monster that joined her in the rest room and decided to have some fun. "Oh no! Whatever will I do now that I am trapped? How can I defeat such a horrible bea-" her voice was cut off as she was knocked to the floor covered in blankets. When she got them off her face she looked up to see Miwa completely ready for school. How did she do that? Miwa Ito was taller than Nanko. Her short black hair framed her red framed glasses. Nanako stood up carrying the mass of blankets now in the bathroom.

"Really Miwa? Did you have to do that so hard?" Nanako asked with pout. The flash of a small smirk on Miwa's face made Nanako realize her mistake.

"Just wanted you to feel good," Miwa responded with a wink. Nanako blushed and without speaking, passed her friend to return the blankets from whence they came. Miwa was always making jokes like that, to almost everybody. It was like she could not help herself sometimes. Nanako finally put away her futon and headed downstairs to make breakfast. The usual eggs and toast she always made ever since she was little. Nanako remembered a time that Big Bro taught her to cook once she had gotten older. She was not quite as good at it as he was, but he also had a big head start on her in life. Miwa soon followed. She set the table with three spots in case Mr. Ryotaro Dojima was home.

Ryotaro Dojima was a detective for the Inaba Police Department. A young talent in his career he excelled through the ranks. However things changed when he lost Nanako's mother, and his first and only wife, Chisato. His drive for work took over and he began to lose himself and his family in his drive to work and find the person who hit his wife with their car. Since taking in his nephew for that one year, he started to regain focus on the important things in life. While he does still hope to find out who did it, he will never let the drive to find out control him again. Nanako and her father became particularly close after they both wound up in the hospital after the issue with Ryotaro's partner Tohru Adachi. He had been responsible for a series of serial murders back then.

A grumbling voice could be heard coming down the stairs. "Morning Mr. Dojima!" Miwa announced cheerfully.

"Morning Dad!" Nanako announced from the kitchen.

Dojima laughed a healthy and hearty laugh, "Good morning you two! Didn't realize I was in for breakfast today!" The three of them made small talk while they ate. "So, looking forward to your first year at Highschool? It is has been a while since I have had a High Schooler in this house."

"Looking forward to it, Mr. D," Miwa said enthusiastically. Nanako nodded in agreement. "I mean we're finally gonna be able to get jobs and make money!"

"Ah youth, I think Nanako stole mine. Her and that cousin of hers," Dojima replied with another small laugh, the grey had started to become fairly prominent in his hair since she got to middle school..

Nanako looked at him in mock offense, "Dad, you don't really think that about me and Big Bro, do you?" Her lower lip quivered and eyes became big and innocent. Dojima put his hands up holding back a laugh.

"Whoa, put that look away or I am not gonna be able to let you out of the house," he joked. This got a small laugh from Nanako who could not hold the face anymore. "Well, I do hope you both enjoy it, Yu's friends all have spoken highly of their times at Yasogami High School. Though I suspect that has more to do with them finding each other there than the academia provided."

Nanako nodded. "I want to make a lot of friends there just like Big Bro," she affirmed.

"Am I not enough?" Miwa asked mock-wounded. In a chaotic moment when Nanako flicked a piece of egg at her and the resulting freakout resulted with Miwa on the ground. "Ok message received!"

"With that, we need to go. Have good day at work Dad," Nanako said giving her father a quick hug. Nanako and Miwa quickly evacuated the house. The two of them made their way to the Samegawa Floodplain and began their trek to school. They shared idle conversation about this and that until Nanako asked Miwa, "Did I ever tell you about how I walked my Big Bro here to lead him to the High School his first day here?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! He got up a little early that morning and we had breakfast. He complimented me and my cooking. It seemed he really admired my independence. So I decided to help him find his way to the school."

Miwa smiled at the story. "Hey, what do you think made him so special to those friends of his? The ones that used to hang out with you all the time?"

Nanako was a little taken aback by the question. "What do you mean, Sis?"

Miwa considered her words before continuing. "Well, they were such good friends that they stuck around to hang out with you even after their friend left? That is the kind of loyalty you usually don't see in friendships lasting even lifetimes, but he was around here for a year and they continued to respect his wishes to keep you company. It just seems like they had a friendship that was much deeper than that of your usual group of friends. Even Yukiko Amagi still invites you to events and offers you part time work to this day at the Inn. You're cousin surely had a big effect on their lives right? Have you ever asked them about that year he was here? What happened back then?" Miwa explained her thoughts thoroughly and the more she talked the more Nanako recognized the look in her eye. Miwa was interested in this topic. Meaning even if Nanako wouldn't look into it, Miwa was not going to stop.

"Then why don't we look into it, together then?" Nanako suggested getting swept up in Miwa's antics. "You do bring up a good point. And since I can't stop you, I will help you out." They both nodded and agreed to the job. It felt like a momentous occasion. Then they heard him.

"Hey, Nanako-san. Miwa. How are you two doing today?" The boy in the school uniform announced. This was Yuuta Minami. He also knew Yu while we was in Inaba. The brown hair sat on his head in his in a messy mop. Yu had been working at the Daycare that Yuuta was at when his father was out of the city on business. The two of them seemed to become fairly close, including Yuuta to his mother. However Yuuta has always been a bit immature. Not in the same way as Miwa, but rather in a childish way. He was still watching and wishing to be part of Featherman things. However he was a good person though the girls did tend to poke fun at him a lot. Miwa in particular.

"Just heading to school," Nanako replied with a smile.

"Yeah since today is school and all," Miwa added sarcastically.

Yuuta ignored the comment. "How was your vacation Nanako-san?" he asked.

"It was good, spent most of it at Junes or working part time at the Amagi Inn. How was yours, Yuuta-kun?" Nanako asked.

Yuuta's eyes lit up as he began to to regale her with the details of the heroics of the most recent episodes of Featherman X. Which slowly devolved into a one person debate about changes in casting. Particularly with the character Pink Argus who used to be played by a Yukari Takeba who did her own action stunts and could actually shoot the bow her character was known for versus the person who replaced her who could barely act let alone do the stunts. Nanako half listened and responded accordingly while Miwa very clearly tuned him out the whole time. The three of them finally arrived at school.

"Looks like we all have the same homeroom. A Mrs. Matsunaga? I think she went to school hear when Big Bro was here," Nanako said looking at the class list.

Miwa looked at her, "How do you know?"

Nanako replied with a grin, "They were in music club together, I think."

Yuuta sighed, "Looks like you have an easy home room coming up then. I just hope he didn't tell her about me at Daycare when he was around," His grumbling went ignored as the three headed to their new homeroom. Nanako found herself in the middle of the class while Miwa was two seats in front of her and Yuuta all the way in the back near the window. A short, thin woman walked into the room and to the surprise of the students took to the front of the room. She had naturally rosy cheeks and was practically their size or smaller. It seemed she had not grown much, if at all, since her days in high school. However, her professional looking suit differentiated her from the dark student uniforms.

"Hello class. My name is Ms. Ayane Matsunaga. I will be your homeroom teacher this year. Welcome to Yasogami High. This was my high school which I have returned to years later as a teacher to spread my love for this school in my high school years to many students," the teacher announced in higher pitched voice. It was cute, in a sort of weird way for a woman her age. Many of the boys seemed to be immediately interested in class, Nanako noticed. She looked back to Yuuta and saw even he seemed a little enraptured. This was going to be an interesting school year.

The day started off normal. It was spent entirely in homeroom explaining rules, classroom expectations and introducing a new student. Then they heard the PA system turn on and a tinny voice came over the speaker.

"Attention students and faculty. The has been an incident within the district. Students are not to leave the building. Police are dispatched in the area. Faculty, please report to the Teacher's Office for an emergency meeting."

The teacher sighed. "Just like when I was a first year…" she mumbled under her breath. "Ok class, please remain here until they announce your release. Regular lectures will begin tomorrow," she announced before she left. The students became abuzz with the possibilities. Nanako seemed to remember something similar happening the day after her Big Bro showed up in town. The coincidence was not lost on the young girl. Miwa made her way to Nanako, with an inquisitive look.

"Nanako? You look like you are remembering something," she observed. It was a face Nanako made often.

Nanako looked at her friend. "Miwa, I think we may have an 'in' with Big Bro's friends. This happened his first day of High School, too," Nanako announced confidently.

"Sneaky," Miwa remarked while nodding. "Get them to tell the story based on related events. You are good."

"I learned from the best," replied proudly.

Miwa nodded and then Yuuta asked, "What are you two doing with Yu's friends?"

"Just getting them to tell about the year he lived here," Nanako replied casually completely missIng Miwa's gesturing to stop talking.

Yuuta lit up. "Really? Can I come with? I have been interested in that myself ever since I met him when I was younger," he informed the two of them.

Miwa sighed. It was no secret that Yuuta was a fan of Nanako's cousin. Narukami had that kind of effect on people in general. Yuuta still saw him like a superhero.

Nanako shrugged. "If you want. Can't really guarantee we will get much out of them. There is only a couple of them still in town to be honest. Yukiko Amagi at the Amagi Inn, Officer Chie Satonaka in the Inaba Police, and Kanji Tatsumi at the Tatsumi Textiles. The others have all moved away and only really come back for short visits," Nanako explained.

"So then Sunday?" Miwa asked.

"Sunday," Yuuta agreed.

* * *

Saturday night started off like any other. Nanako took her shower and prepared her clothes for the following day. She wore long grey sweats and a white shirt maybe two sizes too big when she finally sat down on her couch and thought to herself about how tomorrow was the big day. That she could start digging for answers about the mysteries of her childhood and her Big Bro's year in Inaba. She did not even feel herself fall asleep. A lovely tune seemed to radiate the air with a serene energy. Her vision took on a velvety blue hue and soon she found herself in a new place entirely. It was a large riding cart for the biggest ferris wheel she had ever seen. They were moving. A man with large eyes and an even larger nose sat across from her a table in front of him. To his right a blonde woman in a blue dress.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. Do not be alarmed you are sound asleep in your world. My name is Igor," the man said in what was an almost creepily pleasant tone of voice.

"What is this place?" Nanako finally managed to say.

Igor chuckled. "This place between dream and reality. Mind and matter. It is a place that only those who have made a contract may enter. It could be that you may have such destiny ahead of you. And may I ask are you?" he asked.

"Nanako. Nanako Dojima."

Igor smiled and then gestured to the blonde, "This is Margaret. She is an attendant here and we will be assisting you along your journey."

"It is an honor to finally meet you Nanako Dojima. I knew you were bound to follow in Narukami's footsteps. You have acquired the power of the Fool. Zero which is empty, but full of infinite potential," Margaret said.

"You knew Big Bro?"

Igor waved his hand dismissively, "It was a long time ago that he too was our guest. We will return you to your world. Rest assured that we will meet again Ms. Dojima."

* * *

Nanako woke up, but she couldn't fully remember what her dream was about. It was bizarre. All she did remember was the color blue. However, it was not too important as today was a big day. Today, Nanako was going to head off with Miwa and Yuuta to find out more about her Big Bro's year in Inaba. First they were going to go to the Amagi Inn since it required a bus ride to get to it quickly. Nanako sported a white bolero jacket, a pink t-shirt, and a white jeans. They were going to meet at the bus stop in the Shopping District. Nanako headed down stairs to find her father sitting on the couch, passed out with an empty mug next to an open file.

Nanako walked over to him to wake him up and send him to bed for his day off but something caught her attention on the file. She never would have dreamed of snooping on her father's work but she was immediately attracted to the date on the file. It was from Monday. The day of the incident. Nanako quietly flipped open the file and found a second date from three days before and the descriptions were very similar. Every window, mirror, reflective glass in the room shattered and no signs of any missing or stolen goods. However the event from three days prior, a female student who lived there could not be found. Strange. This seemed to be the page that caught her father's interest as she recognized the signs of his pencil marks in the margin. _Another one missing? Call him._ Nanako read. Looked like he was going to get help from a co-worker.

Nanako put the paperwork back into the file and she simply threw a blanket over him. She headed outside to go to the shopping district. When she got there Yuuta was there in a Featherman T-Shirt and blue pants. Miwa was approaching from the other direction in black short shorts, and an orange track jacket.

"Hey, Nanako-san. Miwa. How are you two doing this morning?" Yuuta greeted them. Miwa mumbled a greeting.

Nanako smiled and replied, "I am doing pretty good. My dad seems to have had a rough night though. Looking into the incident from monday. Seems strange, a home ransacking without anything having been stolen. Apparently there was another one last week," Nanako could not contain the information she saw.

Miwa perked up a little, "Really a house ransacking?" Miwas asked.

Nanako nodded, "But it was just the one room which is the weird part. On top of which a student who lived there went missing. Hasn't been seen since."

Yuuta waved to the bus as it drove down the street. "It does seem weird. Maybe we keep the details we know to ourselves when we go meet with Narukami's friends," he suggested. The two of them agreed and they all got on the bus. They sat making idle conversation as they made their way to the Amagi Inn. Once there, they cycled off the bus and found themselves in front of the prestigious Amagi Inn.

"Anyone else suddenly really nervous?" Yuuta asked out loud. Nanako and Miwa ignored him and made their way inside. Yuuta hesitated a moment then followed still a little sheepish. The girls were already inside waiting for Yukiko Amagi the owner. Yuuta sat down next to Miwa while Nanako remained standing waiting to see her Big Sis again.

An elegant woman soon entered wearing a beautiful red kimono. Her raven hair tied up in a tight and professional bun. She immediately recognized Nanako, and with bright smile exclaimed, "Nanako-chan! It is so good to see you."

"Thanks for seeing me today Big Sis Yukiko. I was really happy to hear you could help," Nanako replied cheerfully.

"Well come with me. I understand you have some questions about when you were younger. Specifically about Narukami?" Yukiko asked her as she led them to an office. Miwa and Yuuta looked at Nanako. How far ahead had she thought for this?

Miwa finally spoke up as she took a seat in a sofa with the other two, "Yeah something happened our first day of school which reminded Nanako of stuff." Across a coffee table from Yukiko in a high backed chair near a large bookshelf of books. The comfort she exuded seemed to be that of a person in a very familiar spot.

"So what did you want to know?"

Nanako hesitated. Miwa gave a nudge and she spoke up. "Was it true that the first murder from back then happened on Big Bro's first day of school?" Nanako asked. Yukiko seemed surprised by this question.

"Wow, I had almost forgotten that myself," Yukiko commented. "It is true, Narukami showed up at school that morning for his first day. That was when the announcer Mayumi Yamano had been found shortly after her start to her affair with the politician Taro Namatame."

Yuuta was impressed, "Wow, you have a really good memory Ms. Amagi-san."

Yukiko's face seemed to land on a small, sad smile. "Well of course, it was the year I met Narukami. He helped me make friendships that have lasted all this time. I love all of them like I never thought I could love anyone," Yukiko replied.

Miwa finally cut through to the main point. "Ms. Amagi-san, if I may, why was that year with Narukami-san so important to you guys? It seemed like it was particularly important to you all considering you continued to spend time with Nanako, at his request after only a year of meeting him," she broke down the reason for the question.

Yukiko looked intrigued. "It was a short time," Yukiko agreed. "However, I don't really think there would be an adequate way for me to answer that question. We all went through a lot that year. Between our own personal problems and the serial murder hanging over the town, the uncharacteristically large amount of fog all throughout that year, we all made it. Together we survived that torrential time. Even when Nanako and Dojima ended up in the hospital we helped keep Narukami from sinking into despair waiting for you two to recover." Yukiko was choosing her words very carefully. The three teens could tell. She was very deliberately dodging a particular topic.

Nanako tried to make her move. "Big Sis, why did I end up in the hospital?" She asked pointedly. Yukiko simply sighed. Nanako was trapping her.

"Look, it is difficult to explain. Taro Namatame kidnapped you and well, we all were so worried. Your Big Bro thought he would never see you again. When you were in the hospital, you died. Narukami was a wreck until they brought you back," Yukiko said passionately. However, this explained 'the what.' It did not explain 'the how' or more importantly 'the why.' Nanako was hot on the trail.

"Big Sis, why was I there? How did I get from Namatame to the hospital?" Nanako asked more pressingly. Yuuta was quiet. There was a desperation to Nanako's questions that made him think that she had more of a reason to be here than just her brother.

Yukiko hesitated. Nanako found the nerve. Suddenly the door to the office opened. "Ms. Amagi-sensei!" a young voice called slowly entering the room. He had big bright eyes and seemed to be only just recently out of high school. "We need your assistance in the dining room. A customer is being a bit of a problem," he announced. Yukiko's look of relief was far too telling.

"I am sorry, I will have to cut this short, I will see you another time Nanako-chan," Yukiko said as she collected herself to go deal with her patronage. The three kids made their way out of the Inn and to the bus stop. They sat in silence for a moment until Nanako finally sniffed back a tear.

"Why won't she tell me? Why won't anyone tell me?" Nanako asked pitifully.

Yuuta's mind was running a mile a minute trying to put together the pieces. He needed more time though. "Hey, let's go to Junes for a little while. Clear your head," he suggested worried about his friend. Miwa agreed. As they got to the store, they stopped off in the food court sitting at a particular table.

"So," Miwa said looking at Nanako seriously. "You want to explain to us what that was about?"


	2. Chapter 2: The Mirror World

**(Author's Notes: Hullo. Jeez guys. The amount of initial support this little project got was amazing. I especially want to thank** **enigmakint05 for your review. He did bring up a point that I think I needed to also clarify to the public. "Yuuta shouldn't be around the same age as Nanako." This is very true. My line of reasoning if you care to hear it is as follows: I was tackling a lot of justifications for getting at least 1 more "known" character into this story. I did not want to have only Nanako as the only P4 character in the new party. So using Miwa a character mentioned in passing as Nanako's friend was one. Now, Yuuta as daycare kid could be as old as 5 if he did not go to kindergarten (which in Japan is voluntary). So I decided to smudge his age by as little as 1 year to get him in the same grade. Also there is a big reason that I did not age Nanako up an additional year. However that is stuff for the future I promise. Anywhoo... I hope you enjoy. Reviews Welcome)  
**

Nanako looked down, she had nothing to hide at this point. "When I was young, Big Bro was a strange new experience. He was respectful to Dad, he was patient and honest with me. However, both Dad and I were somewhat aware of a life that he was not fully letting us onto. It was like a secret world only he and his friends were aware of. The reason I ended up in the Hospital back then is somewhat hazy. When I was younger I was willing to accept people's answers to write off what I know I saw. I saw, Heaven. But I was surrounded by monsters and was being held captive by that man, Namatame. Big Bro saved me, with his friends. But I don't remember how or why," she explained. Yuuta snapped his fingers

"Oh right!" he suddenly proclaimed. It took the other two off balance. "I just remembered something. Did either of you notice how solidly built Amagi-san is?"

"What?" Miwa asked incredulously. "Was that really something to interrupt this with?"

"Shut up it is not like that. What I mean is that she seems far too well built to just be an Inn manager. When I was still going to the Daycare, Mister Narukami was always talking with my mom. One day I though he made her cry. So i punched him as hard as I could. He didn't even flinch. In fact it hurt me more than it hurt him. That isn't something just anyone can do, and Mister Narukami was a particular level of tough. Like he took that hit, like he was hit by things a lot harder."

Nanako nodded. It may have made Miwa confused but Nanako understood. "He stood tall," she agreed. "Are you suggesting that Big Sis may have done the same?"

Yuuta nodded.

Miwa sighed. "Look can we talk about something else. Oh how about the mirror game!"

"Mirror game?"

"Yeah, the game is simple, I learned it from Yukine-chan in class before she got sick. You are supposed to stand in front of a mirror with a hand up, like this," she stated as she explained and held her hand out like it was flat against a surface. "Then if you say your own name 3 times, it is supposed to make your soulmate appear in the mirror with you. But if you have no soul mate, your reflection is supposed to drag you inside the mirror."

Yuuta groaned, "That sounds like a stupid girl game like America's Bloody Mary or the Midnight Channel."

Nanako perked up at the comment. "Wait the Midnight Channel?"

Yuuta sighed. "Yeah," he said. "It was a stupid game High Schoolers used to play. You are supposed to look into the blank screen of a TV at Midnight and it was supposed to show you your soulmate. I swear they remain the same no matter who makes them up."

Nanako whispered, "TV World… Teddie?"

Miwa did not hear her and pouted while saying, "No this is different you have to do it at Midnight with all the lights off. On Sundays."

"Oh you mean it scheduled itself to happen at the end of our day off from school? Just in time to gossip about it at school? It is almost like it was made by a High Schooler or something!"

Miwa stood up and announced, "Let's go to the mirror aisle!" The two followed her as she began marching off. Each one still arguing the matter. On their way there, something caused Nanako to slow her stride and stare. In an aisle dedicated to CDs and other similar media, was another High School student. He stood there in long tight black jeans, with a long white sleeve shirt on and a black short sleeve button down shirt over the top. However the two things that held her attention were his bleach blond hair and a wooden cane.

Miwa stopped nearby. "Shima-senpai," she whispered. His attention snapped to the two girls and to Yuuta when he caught up. He gave them all the once over and then with a small scoff exited the aisle in the other direction.

Nanako turned to her friend. "Who is he?" She asked.

Yuuta answered first. "A third year delinquent. He gets into fights outside of school and shows up late when he bothers to come at all. I think I have seen him working at the Music Store that opened in the Central Market Street. He is bad news."

"Why does he have a cane?"

"Before he moved here he went to another school in the big city. An accident robbed him of his lower leg," Miwa recounted. Nanako simply looked back to where he was before. What did he see in them that he didn't like? Maybe she was not as alike to her Big Bro as she thought. Everyone liked him. The three of them made their way to the aisle.

"Doesn't your stupid game have to be played at midnight?" Yuuta asked, stifling a yawn.

"It… does. Right."

As they walked down it, Nanako kept thinking she was seeing something in her reflection. Something blue, like an aura seemed to emerge from her reflection. Every time she went for a direct look it went away. The aisle suddenly felt a really far distance away as she met her own eyes in her reflection. The Nanako there truly was glowing. Her eyes seemed to fluctuate from yellow to brown. Nanako reached out and as her hand met the glass, it felt like liquid.

"Nanako, how are you doing that!" Miwa exclaimed. Yuuta turned back to look at what interested Miwa so much.

"It's the Mirror Game! Grab her!" Yuuta cried rushing forward. A small slip later and Miwa and Yuuta both fell into Nanako and the three of them all fell into the Mirror.

Nanako, Yuuta, and Miwa found themselves in a pile. At first it felt like they were in the Mall but it was all backwards. They could not quite wrap their heads around what had happened. Nanako's hand sinking into the mirror's glass, the initial panic, and the fall into what should have been a torrent of glass. The hard landing onto a department store floor. It was all too weird. The place they found themselves in was disturbingly quiet and unnaturally lukewarm. In fact it almost seemed as if temperature had no place here. Miwa was the first to respond.

"What the hell just happened?" She asked loudly. The still silence that greeted them was unnerving. Turning back, they saw a solid Mirror and reaching out they were trapped. "Ok calm down. Let's try to think about this rationally."

"What the hell is normal about this?" Yuuta proclaimed. Nanako sighed.

"Good to see you're both ok," she replied a little sarcastically, as they continued to squabble. Looking around however Nanako began to make the realization that they were not as alone as they thought. "You guys, did you hear that?" Nanako asked. The other two quieted down and listened. They heard is a strange sound. Almost like a noise in reverse. They turned towards it to see a shadowy blob approaching them with dark appendages extended.

"Run!" Yuuta shouted finally breaking the three of them out of their stupor. The three teenagers broke into a full on sprint away from the creature. The further they got from where they entered, the Mall became less and less recognizable. They rounded a corner that would lead them a door out. However, the door was closed and Yuuta's face colliding with it proved that the automatic doors were not working normally. Miwa began pulling them open as Yuuta fumbled blindly forward to get out. "Never mind, go back, go back!" Yuuta shouted coming face to face with another slimy dark creature. The slime rose off of the ground a large ball with a giant mouth formed. The spherical enemies levitated and charged forward after the teens. They crashed into the automatic doors and popped them off of the tracks. More creatures approached from inside as Yuuta struggled to keep the doors from flying out of the door frame.

There was nowhere to go. Miwa fell backwards onto the ground. Yuuta was kicked off the door from another attack against it. The door fell in pinning his foot under it.

" _It is trying times you find yourself in child. Yet, where is the justice in how this scene ends? Prepare for my intervention. Your enemies are to be judged by your fair and careful eye. I am thou, and thou art I. Together we will bring a just balance to this world."_

Nanako took on the blue aura she saw before in her reflection. Yuuta and Miwa noticed this and so did the Shadows. The shadows began to converge on her position. The world went quiet. "Per...so... na…" A card floated up from the floor in front of Nanako. A balance with a sword on it at one moment. Until it rotated and a silhouette of a laughing figure could be seen. She held her hand out the card and closed her hand around it. A rush of energy spiraled out from her as the Shadows were all blasted away. A warhammer was in her hands as a large figure came into view above her.

"I am Themis! The Titaness of Justice," the figure was a beautiful woman in a long black robe with what appeared to be the scales of justice attached to giant stone gavel. As the shadows tried to press back in on the group, one swing of the hammer scattered their dark essence. The shadows outside were greeted by a massive blast of wind. The shadows then regrouped to try one last ditch effort to claim their prey. Themis once against gripped her girant hammer in both hands and with a mighty swing dropped the hammer on all of the shadows charging in on Nanako's position. The figure disappeared with the shadows gone and Nanako sank to her knees.

"Nanako, what was that?" Yuuta asked with fear still in his voice. He braced Nanako up.

A squeaking could be heard until an unfamiliar voice spoke, "That was a Persona." The three kids looked over to see a black, white, and purple bear standing across from them. Nanako noticed immediately that it matched the same design as Teddie's outfit.

"Wah, who are you?" Miwa asked stuck between standing behind Nanako and protecting her.

"My name is Eiddet, what are you doing in my home?" She replied accusingly.

Nanako looked at her. "Your name is Teddie, backwards?" Nanako asked.

This seemed to make the bear frustrated, "Don't bring up that name around me. I hate him." The group of teens were more confused now than scared. "Anyway, why do you humans keep coming in here? This place is dangerous! Get out before you end up like the other two," Eiddet exclaimed.

"The other two?" Yuuta asked. "Other people have been here?"

"That is what I said, now go! Git!" the bear replied ushering us back into the mall towards the mirror aisle.

Nanako tried to push back while she asked," How do you know Teddie?"

"He's my reflection. And a damn annoying one as well. I came into existence the second he left the TV world and had a reflection. Shadows are not supposed to have reflections," Eiddet exclaimed. The answer was long enough to get the three teens back to where they had started. "Now don't come back!"

Upon pushing Nanko into the reflective surface, the liquid feeling occured again and the three found themselves back in reality. Nanako was the first to get back to her feet. As she did she saw the upperclassman from earlier turn the corner.

"Are you all insane?" he asked quietly.

His voice cause Yuuta and Miwa to jump to their feet almost immediately. "Shima-senpai. Whatever do you mean?" Miwa asked.

He seemed to get angry. "This is a store, not a playground. You are first years, act like it," he explained. The frustration on his tone very clearly understood by the targets of his ire.

Nanako did not know if it was just because of how tired she felt or if her previous interaction with him had still rubbed off on her wrong, but she was frustrated. "What is your problem?" Nanako asked walking towards him. "You have been nothing but rotten to us even when we were just walking by!"

Shima was taken aback by her aggression. "Are you-?"

"No!" Nanako continued. "If you have problem that is fine, but you have to tell us so we can try to make it better."

Shima was quiet for a moment. He then smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "You? Nah, I got no problem with you. Those two spineless ones though…" he said gesturing to Miwa and Yuuta with his cane. "I am not a big fan of people being fake."

"What…?" Nanako asked. Her confusion suddenly calmed her down. She looked back at her two companions and then at Shima again.

"You are perfectly fine by me Dojima. At least you didn't cower like everyone else does," Shima remarked as he turned and walk away. Nanako could have sworn she saw him frown as he said this.

Behind her Nanako heard Miwa mumble, "What does he mean fake?"

"I don't know," Yuuta commented sourly. "But it probably means nothing coming from a creep like him. No good punk."

Nanako heaved a sigh. What was with that guy? "C'mon guys. We are going to need get going if we are going to get to Big Bro Kanji's store at a reasonable hour," Nanako announced, clearly trying to sound more well adjusted than she was at this point. Yuuta just look at her.

"Did… we not just go through the impossible?" Yuuta asked pointing at the mirror. Miwa straightened out her clothes and got ready to join Nanako.

"C'mon Yuuta, let's just put it behind us for now. Nanako still needs our help," she commented. She was tired. But she did not want to be alone with her thoughts right now. Yuuta babbled for a moment and then finally shoved his hands deep in his pockets and follows the two girls. They made there way out of the department store.

"Hey, Nanako," Miwa started. "Do you think that maybe we just cracked the case on your Brother's time here?"

Nanako looked at the ground. "I think so. Eiddet knows about Teddie. Teddie used to call himself 'The King of the TV World' when I was younger. I always thought it was funny. But now, I am not so sure. What if Big Bro has this 'Persona' thing, too?"

Yuuta sighed. This was so much bigger than he was expecting. "So he really was some kind of superhero then?" This statement ended in silence. Then Miwa started to laugh.

"That is so dumb. A superhero?"

"Shut up," Yuuta mumbled. The Central Shopping District had recovered some over the years. New shops had moved in and the neighbor was still thriving despite Junes. Which Nanako was glad they learned to co-exist. Especially now since it meant that Kanji was still here in town.

The three of them entered the store and found a dark blue haired woman at the counter talking at an open door behind the counter. "I mean Yukiko-san has a point, Kanji-chan."

Nanako's energy skyrocketed. "Big Sis Naoto!" The woman turned around and her surprised face turned to a calm happiness.

"Nanako-chan! Imagine seeing you here," Naoto replied giving the barely smaller girl a quick hug. Nanako had always likes Naoto. As she got older, she noticed that Naoto's voice got lighter and her hair grown out. In fact, they had changed places hair wise. Naoto used to have the shorter and now she had the longer. She wore a tan suit with a thin matching tie over a white button down shirt.

"Since you are here, Big Sis… do you think you and Big Bro Kanji could answer some questions for me?" Nanako asked hoping to take advantage of this opportunity.

Naoto nodded. "I would be honored to spend some time with you. Lucky you caught me on a week I had an extra day off to come here," she replied. At this point, Kanji Tatsumi came in from the back carrying a large box of material. His hair was jet black, but that was not the case when Nanako met him. He was a bleach blonde delinquent like Shima, actually. However Kanji was the kind of a guy who fought gangs of people all at once. After he finished High School, he took over the business to make up for all the grey hairs he gave her over the years. Now, he was still a massively built monster of a man, but his wore his hair forward instead of slicked back.

"Hey," he exclaimed in an almost a singsong voice. Slinging his legs over the counter, Kanji hopped over the obstacle. "Nanako-chan! It is good to see ya'! I was actually going to come see you soon to give you a gift. Hey, Miwa-chan!" Kanji had gotten a whole lot more cheerful being able to work at the store full-time and out of school.

"Big Bro Kanji!" Nanako declared as the monster man picked her up in a big hug.

Naoto chuckled at the display. "Kanji-kun, Nanako-chan actually needed to talk to us about something first." Nanko noticed the change in the honorific now that Naoto knew she was there.

"Sure, we got a little bit of time before lunch," Kanji agreed putting Nanako down.

Nanako and the gang followed Kanji and Naoto into the backroom where there were some chairs out and about for visitors. After everyone found their way to a seat, Naoto asked, "So what did you want to know?"

"Well," Miwa immediately asked, "We were curious about your time with Nanako's Big Bro?"

"Oh?" Naoto asked. "What brought this on, Nanako-chan?"

"Well," Nanako started slowly. "Miwa and I were talking on Monday. There was crime alert at school on Monday when we started the school year. I remembered that something similar happened to Big Bro. You guys were so close with my Big Bro and by extension to me. Why did you stick around even after he left?"

The two of them were taken a little more aback at this point. Afterall, Nanako only called forward to Yukiko about taking about her Big Bro. "Well," Kanji thought out loud. "We liked ya' kid. You didn't judge me, just like your Big Bro. You couldn't ask for a better couple of friends."

Nanako blushed at the compliment.

"It is true though," Naoto added.

Yuuta tried to cut to the chase, "Why did Nanako get so sick? She was gone for weeks from school back then?"

Kanji took a moment to answer. "That is really complicated. That Namatame punk was a real piece of work. I don't really know all the medical junk, just look... I get that growin' up is tough. You have questions, want answers. But you have to understand that not everythin' is so simple. Guess what I'm tryin' t' say is that we'd tell you if we could."

Nanako was unsure on how to feel. On one hand, it means that they might not know. On the other, it could be a conspiracy to keep something from her. "I-I see," Nanako lamented.

Miwa decided to try to cheer Nanako up a little. "So how exactly did you guys meet Narukami-san?"

Kanji though back and seemed to forget that the room was still there. Naoto however was able to answer fairly quickly. "Ultimately, I would attribute my meeting him to his Uncle Detective Dojima of the Inaba Police Department. Working on the serial murder case back then, I ended up having to be a student at the High School during my work. Yu-kun was my senpai."

Kanji added, "I think I met him when I was getting a little too destructive. A lucky coincidence helped me keep myself from destroying myself. Definitely didn't help that I was the loudest thing in the town. He and our friends in the Second Year class were all great people and helped steer me in a better direction."

Nanako smiled listening to their stories. "Thanks, I'll let you get to your date now," she teased. Both of them obtained multiple shades of red as they blushed. The three high schoolers left the textile but Nanako had grown increasingly quiet.

"So, they are hiding something, right?" Yuuta asked.

Miwa nodded. "Definitely."

Nanako was lost in thought however as something about the conversation had reminded her of her past.

* * *

"Big...Bro…" Nanako barely managed to say. Her mouth was covered with some kind of medical mask. The lights were bright and seemed to drown out the presence of the people around her. She felt her Big Bro's hands holding her own. Her breath stopped. The light that flooded her vision seemed to disappear alongside everything with in it's glow. Nanako did not seem to have the energy to be scored or panic in the face that her body was shutting down. It was peaceful, though her ears still seemed to be working as her consciousness faded.

"No…" she heard Chie say. Heavy sobs followed from the darkness. Another set of sobs joined it.

"Dammit…" Yosuke whispered. Then in a bout of anger repeated it much louder.

"Nana-chan…" Teddie said out loud his voice fading. If anything else was said though, Nanako could not hear it anymore.

* * *

"Earth to Nanako-chan!" Yuuta exclaimed snapping Nanako out of her daze. "You ok?"

"I need to go home," Nanako suddenly decided. "I'll see you at school tomorrow." Nanako started walking faster. Leaving Miwa and Yuuta behind, she felt the tears start to form in her eyes. She may not have really wrapped her head around what was happening back then but she fully understood now and it scared the hell out of her. She ignored the looks she got as she made her way through Inaba. Nanko however instead found herself at the Waterfront. Sitting at water's edge, Nanako wrapped her arms around herself as she sobbed. Trying to get her emotions under control never worked as it would just need to run its course. Her arms wrapped tightly around her own torso just to confirm to herself that it was still there.


	3. Chapter 3: Clash of the Titans

**Author's Note: Hullo again! Once again, I am blown away by the support for this little fanfiction of mine. I am starting to run just a little low on steam so updates are prolly going to slow down significantly going into the future. That being said, I am both excited and dreading the reactions to this chapted. To answer the question of Guest in my reviews, I figure since this story is so heavily tied to Persona 4 to even have its name, it would be a good place to start. I have always liked the "face yourself" type of story that got told in this game with the Shadows. I figure who else would make sense to know everything about you but yourself, y'know? Anywhoo, as nervous about this chapter as I am, I think next chapter has me even more nervous. I will explain more then. Have a great day. Please enjoy and reviews are welcome.**

* * *

Nanako finally got home just before sunset. She went into the bathroom and washed her face. Looking at reflection she saw herself. Slowly reaching forward, Nanako felt her fingers hit the surface of the glass. Then they sunk into it just like before. Pulling her hand back, she shook her head and grabbed a towel to finally clean the tear stains from her face. She took her spot next to the table in the living room like normal. Nanako hit the power button on the remote and the news came on.

"Breaking news! Two bodies have been found at recent sites of house ransackings. We have Yuma Fujikawa at one of the scenes. Yuma?"

"Thank you! I am here outside of the house of the Minase family. Where it has been reported that almost 6 days after their main room was ransacked, a body was found in the room. Now we do not have any confirmation but we believe that it may be their daughter who had been reported missing the day after the ransacking. A similar story has occurred over at another house in the residential district where 30 year old internet blogger Haru Saito was found in his bedroom which had been ransacked days prior and he has since then been dubbed missing. Back to you!"

"Thank you, Yuma! Many have compared this to the serial killer crimewave that had occured in the small town of Inaba back in 2011. Many of you probably remember the incident in question. For those of you who may have forgotten, we are of course referring to when Junior Detective Tohru Adachi of the Inaba Police Department was found to have murdered two people, TV Announcer Mayumi Yamano and 3rd Year High School Student Saki Konishi in the Inaba region. He also inspired his own personal copy cat which resulted in the death of an additional community member, High School Teacher Kinshiro Morooka."

Nanako turns off the TV and puts her head down on the table. History was repeating itself for her small town. She stayed like this for a long time trying to just let time pass without care. A knocking on her door shook her from her near-catatonic state. She headed to the front door and found Miwa.

"Nanako, why haven't you been answering your phone?" she asked looking visually upset.

"What do you mean?" Nanako asked. She walked away from the door and looked around for her phone. Retracing her steps she ended up in the bathroom. When had she left it there?

Miwa followed her though and asked, "How did you leave your phone in the bathroom?" Nanako shrugged as she headed back into the living room to sit down. "Seriously, what is with you today?"

"Look, I am sorry," Nanako said pulling up her texts. "Today has not been a good day."

"You're damn right," Miwa exclaimed. Nanako was shocked by Miwa's language. "On the news. Yukine-chan. She's dead."

Nanako finally remembered what she had heard on the news when she got home. "Oh," Nanako said, stunned. What else could she say?

"Two people is what that Eiddet said. Right?" Miwa asked. "Two people in there, two people dead?"

Nanako did not know how to respond to what it was that her friend was saying. "Miwa…" she started still looking for the words. "Are you honestly trying to blame this on the Mirror World we found?"

"How do you explain the Mirror Game? The people are supposed to be dragged in if the game has no one for you? Look that guy was an Online Blogger. His last entry was about the Mirror Game. It can't be a coincidence can it?" Miwa asked desperately.

Nanako shook her head. "This game is a trend right? Where are all the other missing people Miwa? Something has to be happening beyond just that," Nanko reasoned.

"What if I prove it then? It is not midnight yet," Miwa asked a little manically.

Nanako looked at her friend in incredulously. "So you think it could kill you, but you want to try it anyway? Miwa you need to calm down," Nanako told her friend. Miwa however was too far gone to listen.

"It is going to be all the proof you need," Miwa said as she stormed out of the Dojima Residence. Nanako made a move to follow her but in her mind she suddenly felt faint. The world started to fall away from her.

* * *

"Ms. Dojima, I believe it is time that we explained something to you," a familiar calm voice began. "You have obtained the power of the Fool Arcana. It is the number zero, so it is empty on its own but filled with infinite potential. Your powers are weak now, but you can grow so much. Keep this in mind going forward. You will only be as strong as the bonds you make."

* * *

Nanako picked herself up off the floor. Miwa was long gone now. Why would she ever want to put herself in such a position if she thought that place was dangerous? This was crazy. Yukine Minase was dead. Things were getting out of hand. She needed to go and find her best friend. Looking at the clock Nanako realized that Miwa would never get home in time. Nanako was exhausted as well. No, Miwa should not have time to play that stupid game.

"I'll talk her out of it tomorrow," Nanako said. She was determined. Heading upstairs Nanako decided to make a small detour to her cousin's old room. Opening the door she turned on the light and looked at the familiar room. Narukami's scent had long since faded from the room as it mostly kept a stale unused room type of smell. His book collection on the shelf, his built models alongside them with a happy little snow creature plush in a blue hat. He had a tiny TV, a desk in the corner, and a little work table. There is only one blank area under the window where the small couch had been removed. Nanako sighed, turned off the light, and closed the door after one more sad look.

Nanako finally managed to stumble over to her room and collapse on her futon.

Nanako woke up from a dreamless sleep. Getting off of her futon stiffly as she had failed to set it up. Changing into her uniform, she made her way over to the upstairs bathroom to finish getting ready. As she fixed her hair she looked at her reflection. Reaching out with her hand, it still sank into the mirror.

"So I am not crazy. Good," Nanako commented sarcastically. Nanako left the bathroom and headed downstairs. Like the day before her father had beaten her down here. However he was wide awake and looking over a casefile.

"Nanako," he said looking up at me. "Come over here. We need to talk."

"What is it?"

"You spent time with Miwa yesterday, right?"

"Yeah?" Nanako answered. She did not like the direction that this conversation was headed. "Why?"

Dojima looked away with a heavy sigh. "Her parents called. She never made it home last night. And she is not here," he explained. "We're beginning looking for her as soon as we finished today's ransacking investigation."

Nanako's ear perked up. "There was another ransacking? They talked about two of them on the news last night."

Dojima grumbled under his breath something about the 'damn news' before he answered, "Yeah, it happened at Moel station in the Washroom. All three mirrors were smashed."

"Oh, I see. I will have to make sure I don't use it again anytime soon," Nanako remarked. Dojima looked at her and simply smiled at her.

"Of course not, you're a 'good kid' remember? Unlike that cousin of yours," Dojima remarked with a chuckle. Nanako also giggled a little trying to hide the fact that her stomach dropped upon hearing that it happened at Moel. Miwa may not have been able to do it at home. But Moel would be more than close enough for Miwa to make it in time.

"You get going to school now, alright? Try to avoid the Central Shopping District at least until the roads open up again," Dojima told her, ruffling her hair a little.

Nanako nodded. She went to go grab her book bag. There was no way she was going to be able to concentrate today…

And she was right, the school day was already over and she remembered none of it. Nanako however had come to a decision. If Miwa was in the Mirror World, Nanako was going to get Miwa out of there herself. Surely her Persona could do that, right? However before she could get out of the school, Yuuta caught up with her.

"Nanako, do you know where Miwa is?" Yuuta asked. "She isn't picking up her Cell."

"I think I have an idea," Nanako said through between clenched teeth as she made her way around him. "I am going to try to find her," she told him as she walked away.

Yuuta watched her start to leave. He jogged to catch up to her, "I am coming too." Nanako was about to object when Yuuta added, "You can't go to the Mirror World alone. I will watch your back even if I can't fight them."

"Fine, but stay close. I don't know how well I will be able to protect you ok?" Nanako warned. Yuuta nodded. "I think we should go in where we did last time," Nanako continued. "Maybe Eiddet will be there again. If not well then we will just need to get to the Moel Station in the Mirror World."

"Moel Station?"

"Did you hear about the recent bathroom ransacking?" Nanako asked. Yuuta fell silent at this. Neither one really needed to finish the thought. If the news from last night was any kind of indicator, then Miwa was inevitably going to end up back there. Dead.

The trip to Junes was quiet as the two of them broke off from other students and headed into the department store's main building. Getting away from the lingering eyes of others, the two of them found themselves in the mirror aisle. They stood in front of it not really wanting to move forward any further. Nanako realizing that she doesn't even know that she could summon that thing again.

"So…" Yuuta started nervously. "We going to do this?"

Nanako reached out wordlessly. Stepping through, Yuuta followed close behind her. They ended up back in the twisted version of the mall. The only thing that changed however, was that Nanako had the hammer in hand. "The hammer again?" Nanako asked.

"Well we have a weapon," Yuuta said slightly more enthusiastically.

A familiar squeaking caught their ear. "Are you kidding me? You three again?" Eiddet exclaimed.

"Three? So Miwa is here then?" Yuuta asked.

"Y-y-you mean you didn't all come together?" Eiddet replied stammering. Clearly nervous. "That is no good. No good at all." Eiddet began to mutter and pace back and forth, squeaks accompanying every footstep.

"I am here to get her back," Nanako announced. This stopped Eiddet's pacing.

"Really?" Eiddet asked. "Well you do have a Persona, I suppose. You'll need someone to guide you in battle, you don't normally fight. I can tell. And you don't have a persona or fight at all. Stay close to me. Let's go find your friend. My nose has got a pretty good idea where to look."

"Nose?" Yuuta asked. "So are you actually like a bear or something?"

"It's… complicated."

Nanako took the lead. While she was fairly certain about where Miwa should be, she still let Eiddet confirm that the direction they should be traveling was correct. There was a few times that shadows tried to attack them, but Nanako's hammer was enough to deal with them. She was still uncertain about how to summon her actual Persona. However the fights were getting just a little more physical strenuous as the party of three finally made their way to the Central Shopping District.

"I don't get it," Yuuta finally announced. Nanako and Eiddet both looked at him. "We are in the Shopping District but backwards right? So why are pieces of it disappearing in that direction?"

Nanako finally paid attention to her surroundings. From the northern section of the District to the south end there were pieces missing. The closer it got to the Moel Station the missing pieces occured in larger pieces and in higher density. In fact it looks like barely any of the Station was still standing. The chunks that were missing were cube shaped Nanako noticed. Like someone just scooped out chunks of the shopping district.

"It is strange," Nanako commented. For whatever reason, the missing pieces were what made her so nervous. They approached the southern end of the district when they heard a familiar voice.

"So, I proved it. Didn't I Nanako?"

Miwa's voice caused a shiver to go down Nanako's spine. "Miwa? Where are you?" Nanako called out.

Walking out of the rubble of the Moel Gas Station was Miwa. However, she seemed different. Yellow Irises in her eyes immediately caught Nanako's attention. However, the arrogant confidence in her stance was uncharacteristic for her friend. Also she was carrying herself. The yellow eyed Miwa dropped her real self causing her to wake up.

"Hello, Miwa. We have guests," the one Nanako decided to dub 'evil' Miwa said.

"Nanako? Yuuta-kun? Help me," Miwa whimpered. Evil Miwa kicked the regular Miwa.

"What makes you think you deserve their help? You are useless. Isn't that what your parents are always complaining about? Wasting your potential? They would probably erase this town if it meant getting you to just stop screwing off and make something of yourself," Evil Miwa taunted.

Nanako was not entirely unfamiliar with what the Evil Miwa was going on about. Her father was a local business legend and he single handedly saved three business from the tyranny of Junes including the Konishi Liqueur and the Yomenaido Bookstore. Her mother was the lawyer who by some miracle was able to get the case to stick to Tohru Adachi. With that kind of legacy, her parents have always held heavy expectations of similar kinds of success.

"Of course, then it doesn't help that you actually don't have any practically useful talents. Your grades are painfully average. You aren't in school leadership like Nanako. You don't even have any particular passions like Yuuta. Though at least you are not as much of child as he is, so you may have that going for you. Look around you, your parents influence on you has even started erasing the world around you."

"Shut up! I don't care what their expectations of me are. If I did, I wouldn't have rebelled against them in the first place," Miwa screamed at her evil self.

"Eiddet, what do we do?" Nanako asked.

Eiddet replied, "There isn't much. That is a shadow. Shadow's are hidden thoughts and emotions. If they are denied too much… they go berserk."

"Of course you care. You just pretend so that you don't have to live with the fact you once tried to live up to them and failed miserably even when you put all your effort into it," Shadow Miwa replied.

"No that isn't true. I never wanted to be them. You are lying!"

"Why would I lie? After all… you are me," Shadow Miwa replied.

"No, you are lying. You aren't me!"

The sudden drop in temperature shook Nanako to the core. However the person who was feeling it worse was Yuuta.

"God we really are such a child aren't we?" A twister version of Yuuta's voice called out. Nanako turned around to see Yuuta confronted by a Shadow version of himself holding him by his collar. "Fight me! Fight back!"

"Let go of me!" Yuuta pleaded.

"What's the matter Momma's boy? Gonna cry? That is all your good for isn't it? Can't even step up to try to be the man of the house now that dear ol' business trip dad is gone. Poor step-mom is now stuck working multiple jobs trying to keep you from going hungry!" The shadow of Yuuta taunted.

Nanako could not believe what was happening around her. Was this what happened to Yukine-chan and that blogger? What darkness was hiding in them?

"She told me everything is fine. To just focus on my studies," Yuuta argued back.

Shadow Yuuta simply chuckled, "And of course we just accepted that, like a good child. Seen not heard. You don't have a grown up bone in your body. You are just going to let everyone else do all the work for you until you drive your only remaining parent to the grave aren't you. You are a parasite!"

"No! Stop it! You are lying. Don't you dare to pretend to be me!" Yuuta yelled back. This caused the Shadow version of him to drop him.

"This is not good," Eiddet whimpered. Shadows began swarming Nanako's friends. And their shadows.

"Eiddet go grab Yuuta-kun. I am going to go get Miwa. I need to get them out of harm's way," Nanako commanded. Eiddet looked at her with a certain kind of respect for taking initiative in the situation then nodded. The two of them ran forward and dragged the non-shadowed versions away from the swarming darkness in between two of the buildings.

"Yuuta get up," Nanako commanded as Yuuta struggled to get to his feet. "Protect Miwa. I am going to try to clear a path through these Shadows."

"Are you crazy they are getting huge!" Yuuta exclaimed.

"I," Nanako hesitated. "I know. But I am the only one with the capability of fighting them." Nanako began to take on a blue glow again. She walked out of the alley and found herself before two giant entities.

"I am a Shadow. The true self, May my powers of the Titaness Leto allow me to enforce everything my parents taught me is true parenting," the giant that replaced Miwa announced. It was clear that the giant was once beautiful. Well-endowed and shapely. However whatever had corrupted its image had done a good job at it. Large cubic chunks of building came out of the entity like growths consuming the right arm and right side of the face of the creature. In its still working hand was a staff adorned with a bright jewel. However the jewel had a chunk of building with a sign stating 'Moel.' Taller than the one story buildings around them, Nanako was truly and insect in the eyes of this being. Speaking of which, it was missing an eye, replaced with a cube of building the other was shining yellow.

Meanwhile the other shadow proclaimed, "I am a Shadow. The true self. May my powers of the Titan Helios allow me to blind all who would see the injustice I do!" This giant was clearly once a brilliant entity. A dulled shine of their round body which sat on the ground. It was fat, however the reason being that from its back and arms were tubes that were attached to people and seemed to be sucking the life from them. From his belly was a threshed looking mechanical apparatus. It was frightening and Nanako felt that just looking at it was pulling her closer to its metal teeth.

" _What has happened to these Titans? You humans truly have an incredible power stored within to be able to do this to Leto and Helios. Please. Help me fix them and I will help you save your friends,"_ Themis pled to Nanako.

The blue card showed up in front of Nanako again and she reached out to it like she had done before. "Persona!" Nanako declared aloud. "Come forth, Themis!"

The beautiful woman in a long black robe with what appeared to be the scales of justice attached to giant stone gavel appeared behind Nanako. Her Persona was still quite a bit smaller than the two titans before her. Themis gripped the hammer in both hands with an iron grip. The Persona flew forward to attack the giant referring to itself as Leto. Nanako stood her ground to keep them away from her friends. Themis flew through the air slamming her hammer into the building cube that replaced Leto's eye. Leto's staff took on a blue glow and lightning lashed out trying to stop the attack. Though Themis did feel the hit, the attack was not enough to deter the swing. Leto fell backwards.

Helios clumsily reached forward to grab at Nanako. Nanako swung her hammer knocking the hand away. Another hand swiping at her. Spinning around, Nanako smacked the hand up and over her head to get to the other side of Helios's hand. Helios suddenly became brighter.

"Cover your eyes! He is going to try to blind you!" Eiddet shouted from the sideline. Nanako covered her eyes with on arm and held the hammer out in front of her with the other. She felt some heat from the light that blasted out from him, so when it died down she uncovered her eyes again. She did not recover in time, a chubby foot lashed out and she fell back.

"No! Nanako!" Yuuta called out running from his hiding spot. He saw his shadow's hand moving for her. He planted himself in place hiding behind his arms. The attack crashed down from above and into some kind of forcefield.

"What?!" The giant titan called out.

"I won't let you hurt her!" Yuuta challenged, still hiding behind his arms. "It is true, I am afraid of growing up. But can you blame me? Everyone in my life, has grown up and as part of their responsibilities, they died. While it could not stop me from seeing it happen again, I was scared of it happening to me. But, I will not allow it anymore!" As Yuuta yelled he began taking on a blue aura like Nanako had before. "Persona!" He called out. Revealing source of resistance was a powerful looking man. Clad in a sort of armor, he held above himself a glowing golden chariot wheel as a shield. On his back was a two-handed handguard attached to a chainsaw blade. Throwing off the hand, he swapped his weapon and shield and the chainsaw blade came to life with beams of light shooting of from the blade edge.

" _I am Hyperion! By the will of my blade, I will shed light on any deception!"_ Hyperion called. The shadow was considerable weakened by Yuuta's new determination, so Hyperion was able to dispatch it without difficulty. The remaining shadow looked at Yuuta with a brief look of respect.

"I'm sorry that I have failed us so hard. I will do everything I can to make us change. Ok?" Yuuta told his shadow. The two of the shook hands and the shadow disappeared.

Meanwhile, Themis was slowed by the blow taken by Nanako, but was determined to not the young persona user down. Leto had gotten back up and swung its consumed arm. Themis dodged under it and moved to slam the giant gavel into the giants face. Leto had pieces broken off.

"Please stop," Miwa said aloud. Nanako, finally getting off the ground, saw her friend standing shakily near her. "I am a screw-up. I get that. I did want more than anything to be like my parents once. No, I still do. But I need to accept the truth that I will need to make my own way in life. Starting with me and my parents having a little chat. They are the first step to changing. I think we both know this," Miwa told her shadow. Leto shrunk down to normal size leaving her shadow behind. The shadow Miwa stepped forward and met with her regular self in the middle of the fighting arena that this battle had nearly destroyed.

"We can change, together," the shadow said. It began to fade away and Miwa took on a blue hue. Above her was a new beautiful woman. Adorned in an outfit that could only be called a toga and wearing a wreath of golden flowers atop flowing green hair. A staff in hand, spawning from it a pure light. " _My name is Rhea. I will take care of you child, so that you can take what you have learned from your parents. Make it your strength."_

"Thank you," Miwa said aloud.

Nanako simply sat on the ground as she managed to sit up. She hurt basically all over, but they had somehow won that fight. She suddenly felt herself being embraced from both sides. Yuuta and Miwa both went in to thank their savior.

"Nanako-chan, you were incredible!" Yuuta called out.

Miwa simply whispered, "Sorry to put you through so much."

Nanako held onto their arms as she smiled. "I am just glad that you two are ok," Nanako beamed. "Let's go home." All three of them got to the feet and helped each other get back to the reversed Junes.

"Eiddet, thank you for your support today," Nanako said to the bear.

"Thank you for getting your friend. Do me a favor?" Eiddet asked.

"Anything," Yuuta offered happily.

Eiddet fumed for a moment then just said, "Get out." The three teens paused for a moment and then laughed. After a small series of goodbyes, the left the Mirror World. Ending up back in Junes they were drained from what happened that day.

As they walked out of the store they passed by a raven haired girl in their uniform. She offered them a quiet smile. Nanako did not quite recognize the other student as she seemed older, but Nanako was too tired to ask her friends about them.

"We are going to need to talk about this at some point," Yuuta finally said breaking their silence.

"Agreed," the two girls responded.

"First," Miwa started.

"Sleep," Nanako finished.


	4. Chapter 4: The Third Years

**Author's Note: So here we are, probably the chapter I am most worried about due to the focus being on a full OC and another character that I have been really worried about introducing. So read this chapter and then see my explanation at the end of the chapter. It'll make more sense then.**

* * *

The buzzing of a cell phone woke Shima Okazaki from his 'peaceful' spacing out. Sitting in the gazebo at the floodplains, Shima often found himself here because it was good place to avoid people. However, now his cell phone was going off which meant one of two things. Either someone was texting him, which could only be one person off the top off his head who had his number, or it was an alarm to remind him of one of the various things he needed to do that day. Lazily pulling his phone from his pocket he confirmed it was a text.

 _They were there again. Meet at foodcourt. - S_

With a lazy sigh, Shima put the phone back in his pocket. Why did he even bother telling her about it? It was weird seeing those three underclassmen twice on Sunday. Especially cause once was in an aisle selling mirrors and two of them were just sitting on the floor. Like who the hell does that? Shima was already annoyed by his previous interaction with them, so he figured he could just pull his usual move and scare them off. However, in a move he had not expected, Nanako Dojima stood up to him. Class president, first year student Nanako. He had heard a little about her past. She and her cop father had ended up in the hospital about 8 years ago. It was before his time in Inaba so he really couldn't care less. However, her outburst made him feel something he had felt only once before since he got to Inaba. Surprised. The other person, was currently waiting at the food court.

So he told her about his experience the previous day. No real idea as to why he did, but that was something he just felt like needed to be done. After all, what else was he going to do if not talk to her?

Tap. Clack. Slap. Tap. Clack. Slap. The rhythm wormed its way into his head listening to his uneven gait. His constant companion along side his prosthetic leg and his cane. He traveled a slow pace understandably and ultimately get his distance for the road. Behind him he heard a couple of students whispering about him.

"Is that him?" "Yeah." "He doesn't seem so bad." "You clearly haven't seen him angry." "Well maybe he just needs someone to get to know him?" "After you." "Well not me, obviously."

"Are you two done?" Shima asked without turning around. The small 'eep' was all the more gratifying when he heard it not from one of them but both of them. He did not stop to face them.

After the long trek to Junes, Shima made a stop at the vendor to get a drink before he found her. Shuffling towards her table he plopped down into his chair and hung his cane off of the edge of the table. "So what's up?" Shima asked roughly.

His conversation partner flinched at his tone and he mentally reprimanded himself. He knew she did not like it. Might as well not completely alienate the only person who will talk to him. The quiet raven haired girl finally responded.

"Those three you told me about from yesterday were back, and they were leaving from the main store," she told him.

Shima simply shrugged, "Wonder why they spend so much time in there? Oh well."

"There is more. I think you may find this particularly interesting," the quiet girl continued. Shima simply raised an eyebrow. "They looked like they just got done with a fight. Like worn out tired and the one I assume is not Nanako-chan was bruised."

"Bruised?" Shima asked his voice immediately dropping from inquisitive to somewhat angry. "Anysign of who did it?"

"No, but it if makes you feel any better, I don't think it was either of her friends," the raven hair girl responded. "Can I ask why you care?"

"What?" Shima asked surprised.

The girl twirled a lock of hair that had escaped being pulled back in her normal ponytail. She paused a moment and then finally blurted out, "You don't talk to many people. In fact I have only seen you talk to me. So when you brought up Nanako-chan by name, just seemed… interesting."

Shima scoffed. "Your interests are odd, Shiho," Shima commented idly. Shiho Suzui just gave him a simple smile. Shiho was not without her own history. While most around Inaba did not know much, Shima's time with her had helped him put some pieces together. Similar to himself, she had been seriously injured. It caused her to miss a year of school. Ending up in Inaba she was a year older than all of her other classmates. Shima had at least gotten injured at the end of a school year so he was still moved on. She had been stuck. Shiho also flinched at harsh words or aggressive body language. While he didn't know the cause of it, whatever it was made him mad thinking about it. But what could he do now? Disabled and probably years too late.

"You are an enigma Shima," Shiho said as she collected her stuff. "T-take care of yourself. Alright?"

"I'll be alright," Shima replied passively. Shiho left the food court. Her path was already planned. Buy dinner, go home, do her stretches, and ultimately go to bed. Her days usually were not composed of anything more. So a reason to talk to Shima was a welcome diversion from her regular routine. Shiho really could not wrap her head around her fellow third year. Deep inside he seemed to have a burning passion for...something. Which is where the mystery of him and his character comes from. He's rough around the edges, definitely a delinquent. But he was smart. He clearly had been a good student once, but something changed for him and he stopped caring. Shiho thinks that his leg injury was recent. However, the injury itself could not be all that there was to it, could it?

Shiho found herself in the produce section of Junes. While she was there she noticed an uniformed officer. Her brown bob cut bounced to and fro as she seemed lost in finding something.

"Excuse me, officer. Did you need help finding something?" Shiho offered. They looked at her and smiled.

"Oops, forgot to remove my badge. I am off duty. You can just call me Satonaka. If you could help me, do you know where the garlic is? I can never remember what they look like whole," Officer Satonaka asked.

"Umm," Shiho started looking around and finding what the item in question. "Right here, Satonaka-san." Shiho noticed some of the items the officer had in her basket. The logical conclusion was some kind of ramen dish. "Ramen?"

"Thank you," Officer Satonaka replied. "Yeah, it is one of the only things I know how to make without destroying my kitchen. Or my taste buds." The officer looked somewhat glum about this information. "So you are a Yasogami High student? Based on your looks, I'd say third year?"

"That is correct, Satonaka-san. My name is Shiho Suzui," Shiho introduced herself.

"Well enjoy that school while you have it Suzui-chan. I will see you around, I am sure. Thanks again," Officer Satonaka replied gratefully. Shiho simply nodded with a small smile. The officer left the produce section and Shiho seemed to slightly deflate now that she was alone. Back to her normal scheduled day. Shiho grabbed some vegetables for a stir-fry type dish and proceeded to leave Junes herself. Checking her phone compulsively, Shiho was disappointed that there was no texts from Ann. It had been over a month since the last one. Otherwise, no one talked to her outside of teachers. Her classmates didn't have time to make a new friend. It was their last year before they would go off to university. Days were quiet.

"Ann… where are you?" Shiho asked her phone like it would be able to tell her. She pocketed the device at her door. Going into her house was always a chore.

"Are you alright?" "How was your day?" "You went to Junes?" "How was that?" "Your not feeling any chest pains are you?" "Still a full range of motion?" "Can I take your bag from you?" "Do you need help preparing that?" "Do you need anything from the top shelf?"

Everyday her parents were like this. It was nice that they cared but… it was overbearing too. She understands where they are coming from. Their daughter tried to kill herself. That just wasn't something you got over. However, Shiho was feeling suffocated.

Shiho after about 200 questions finally finished making her meal and took it to her room to get away from the questions. It took a lot of convincing to get a room upstairs. She wanted the little balcony on her house to herself. To face her fear everyday, it was the only way she could think to continue making progress. Looking down over the road she recognized a group of three boys from school.

"Hey baby, wanna come down here and play?" One of them yelled. Shiho felt her pulse rise, her heart rate spiking. Memories of a disgusting man standing over her in a dark backroom. "C'mon don't be shy. We'll be gentle!" The man in her past pressed himself against her forcibly. She was no Ann, but she would do just fine. Shiho's breath hitched as she was having difficulty breathing. Their calls continued and Shiho was fixed in place unable to move. Unable to respond. It would remain like this until she saw Shima for the second time today.

* * *

Shima stayed at the food court for some time after Shiho had left. All around him, he could feel the eyes of people on him, specifically his cane hanging off the table. He could hear the less careful ones.

"What happened?" "He must have been messing around." "Look at his hair, he must be a delinquent." "I wonder what pissed him off today?" "I wonder if it hurts." "He doesn't look like he needs a cane." "Young people today, always looking for attention."

Shima adjusted his prosthetic and grabbed his cane. Raising himself to a standing position he made his way out of the food court. Tap. Clack. Slap. Tap. Clack. Slap. Out on the road, there was nobody around. He sat down on a bench and pulled up his pant leg. Taking the prosthetic off he adjusted his prosthetic sock. No wonder it was uncomfortable. After fixing it, he continued on his way home. Taking out his phone, there was nothing. Like usual, he pocketed his phone as he got to his door.

Walking into the house, the lights were off. Turning on the lights he found a note on the fridge.

 _Shima - Aiya's in fridge. Mom's in bed. I am at work. Turn off lights._

Shima sighed. He ripped the note off the fridge and shredded it. "Whatever," Shima mumbled as he tossed the pieces in the trash. He took the food out of the fridge. It was still slightly warm. "Really Dad? How early did you go to 'work' this time?" Shima looked at the contents of the bowl. Picking at it he just looked around the empty house. It was sterile. No clutter. No life. No… love. Shima knocked the mail off of the counter in a fit of anger. He took the bowl and chopsticks to his room. Looking at his room, it was like the rest of the house.

With the exception of a box full of CDs in the corner and one other detail you would be surprised to know that anyone actually used the room. The other detail was the tape blocking out the top of his full length mirror. It was perfect, cause the only time he was see himself was when it would block out his face, Shima ate quietly with a small spark of anger still ignited from before. He finished the food and took off his uniform. His prosthetic went first. The pant leg flopped down lazily as he released it. Changing into a pair of short, he then took off the top half of his uniform. As he went to hang up his uniform top, he caught view of the various scars on his body from surgery and injury. Just looking at it started adding fuel to the fire burning inside.

Shima threw on a long sleeve shirt and his shoes as he decided he needed to quell this fire inside of him and the only way he knew was to let it burn faster until there was nothing left. He grabbed his cane and headed back out of the house. Walking through the residential district he needed a fight. There was usually a group of people he could usually find out here.

Shima found the group of three yelling at a nearby house. Looking over at the house in question he saw someone, silhouetted against the light from inside the house, up in the balcony who had been their target. ""C'mon don't be shy. We'll be gentle!"" Shima heard. His already burning anger bloomed further into a near-blinding rage. Shima identified them as the second year 'delinquents' who got it in their heads that they could start a gang. Shima ultimately did not care about their gang-status, he just really wanted to enjoy beating the shit out of them.

The three became quiet as he approached. They looked at him and they seemed to get nervous, but pride would not let them back down. This was their undoing. As the first one approached, Shima planted his good leg behind their leg, slammed his hand into their throat, threw his weight forward and dropped the punk immediately. Giving out another punch for good measure, Shima hooked his cane behind another one's leg and then turned his attention to the third guy. Ducking under a wild swing, Shima planted his shoulder into the gut of the guy and threw him back against a nearby fence. Having pinned his target against it, Shima began raining blows against him. The one he tripped had gotten up by this point to try and grapple Shima from behind. Shima threw his weight back and crashed backwards. Rolling backwards he got himself back on solid ground and he proceeded to pepper the guy he just downed with his cane. Finally smashing his face with a meaty punch put Shima as the victor. The three got up and began to run. Shima was fully intending to follow them.

"Sh-Shima?" he heard a familiar voice ask. Turning about, Shima finally looked up and saw that it was Shiho up on the balcony of the nearby house. His looking for trouble put him right here, protecting her. "What are you doing out here?"

"N-nothing much. Community service," he replied dryly.

"Do you want to come in?" She offered seemingly not sure what to do in this situation. Shima simply shook his head.

"Nah, I should be going home. I think it generally goes without saying but uh-"

"I won't tell anyone," Shiho replied with a small smile.

Shima wanted to say something to try to make himself look like less of an animal right now, but nothing sounded good enough."Good night, Shiho," was all he could say..

Shiho watched him go. There was something primal in the way he had fought with those other boys. He was not just being protective. Something had made him angry long before he had gotten here. However, Shiho could only silently thank him over and over again. The bad memories had cleared and she was grateful for that.

Shiho watched Shima leave until she was no longer able to see him.

* * *

 **Author's Note Too: So... Hope you like the deeper look into Shima's character. He was a Persona character OC I made years ago shortly after playing Persona 4 for the 3rd or 4th time. Anyway the real reason I am down here... Can we talk about "The Girl that Persona 5 Forgot"? See, I get that she gets some love in Ann's confidant path line. However, I was deeply unsatisfied with that since under any other circumstances she should have either become a Confidant herself or become a party member. The other issue with tying her directly to Ann's story is that if you rush Ann's ranks Shiho suddenly becomes recovered and all squared away in a few months. So here is what you need to know for my story.**

 **P5 takes places 6 years after the start of Persona 4, we know this because Rise is 21 at the time of Persona 5 and was 15 when Persona 4 started. So Shiho a second year student has an accident that is going to take her out of school for a while and as such will have to repeat her second year at a new school for which I decided it was Yasogami High School. Now she is a third year which is why she is one year older than her peers and is still in school when Nanako would be a first year in High School. That is why Nanako is not a second year and Yuuta's age got smudged. Because I am giving Shiho, "The Girld Persona 5 Forgot" her story. So that is why... hope that is enough to let you guys accept her appearance in this fic.**

 **~Noxmad**


	5. Chapter 5: Establishing Communications

**Author's Note: Pretty simple Chapter here. Mostly setting up for next chapter. Still some fun expostion to help fill you all in on the reasons for some things. Next one's gonna be a bit crazy.**

* * *

"So, here we are," Yuuta commented awkwardly. It had been a few days since their last excursion into the Mirror World. Nanako, Miwa, and Yuuta all sat at a particular table at the Junes food court. There was overcast today but no expectation of rain. The three of them were not entirely sure where to start. How does one continue a conversation when monsters were involved? How does one start one?

Miwa finally broke the silence again, "So we are assuming that your Big Bro was involved in something like this?"

Nanako nodded. "I remember something that Teddie used to talk about something he called the TV World," Nanako recounted. "He used to claim that he was from it and I'd call him the king. After a while he talked about it less and less. I remember there being monsters when I was young, but I could never really wrap my head around it."

"Ok," Yuuta said hesitantly. "So do we tell them what we have run into?"

After a few moments, Miwa finally announced, "I think we should handle this on our own. They are all adults with lives. Involving them, or letting them know there is something to get involved in, might be bad. Besides they must have been out of this game for years."

"True," Yuuta responded sleepily. While the other two hid it much better, it was pretty clear that all three of them were still exhausted from that last visit.

"Besides," Nanako started, "It is possible that they might try to push us out of it. This all started as a search for the truth, not to cover up more of the truth."

The three of them became quiet again. "Do we really think that the three of us alone could do this?" Miwa asked. The doubt started to creep into their minds. Suddenly she perked up and stood up from her seat. "We need to make a promise!"

"Wha-?" Nanako asked. Where did Miwa keep all these bursts of energy?

Miwa grabbed her drink. "We have to promise each right here and now that we will see this through to the end on the honor of our friendship!"

Yuuta began to laugh after a brief pause. Even Nanako giggled as she picked up her own drink and stood. Miwa began to get a little bashful and seemed to falter for a moment but then with a renewed intensity lifted her drink.

Yuuta followed suit with Nanako and the three of them all lifted their drinks. "To the truth?" he asked.

"The truth," Miwa and Nanako agreed. Nanako felt a swelling of pride inside as the three of them sat back down but Yuuta seemed to be lost in thought.

"Yuuta-kun, you alright?" Nanako asked.

"Y-yeah. I just wanted to apologize for what my shadow tried to do to you. I got a part time job yesterday. At my old daycare actually. I told my mom that I was going to start contributing to the household so she could have a break every now and then," he explained.

"Hey, it is fine," Nanako replied. "And you got a job?"

Yuuta hummed a confirmation. "Mom told me I did not have to and I told her that I insisted. I have never felt her hug me so tightly before."

"That's great Yuuta-kun," Miwa congratulated. "As long as we are getting all confessional here, I guess I should tell you guys that I talked to my parents."

Nanako leaned forward and tried to read her friend's face. Nanako had been aware that Miwa and her parents had been on rough terms. It was part of the reason that Miwa was with Nanako and her father so much. Miwa's face did not betray her though.

"They are disappointed," she said flatly. "However, they acknowledge that if their lines of work are not my strong suit then there is no point in hurting my future further in trying to force me into pursuits that I have no particular talent in. So we agreed I would become a stripper in America."

Nanako almost spilled her drink overreacting to her friends joke announcement. Yuuta turned beet red and it became very apparent that his mind went immediately to the conclusion. Miwa finally broke, almost falling out of her chair. "No, but we are going to look around and see what I can find."

"That is great!" Nanako exclaimed while Yuuta continued to recover from his internal show.

"Hey," Yuuta started to say as he finally came back to earth. "Why didn't Nanako-chan have to face something like we did when we came here the first time?"

"True, you didn't. Why do you think that it?" Miwa asked.

Nanako shrugged. "I don't know. But there is something really weird about it. When I first summoned my Persona, the card that appeared before me had a different picture on it at first. A blade with a balance. It then turned into a laughing man. My persona told me it was called the Fool Arcana. What do yours look like?"

"I really don't know. It is like a man levitating a ball of flame," Yuuta responded. "My Persona Hyperion told me that I had the power of something called the Magician Arcana."

"Rhea told me something something similar. The Chariot Arcana, I think?" Miwa recounted uncertainty.

Yuuta then asked, "What is an Arcana?"

Nanako shrugged and pulled out her phone to look up the information. "Let's see. According to the internet the Arcana are related to the Tarot Cards. Tarot is used for fortune telling among other things. The Major Arcana which is looks like all of ours fall under, are the more important cards of the Tarot Deck as they generally hold extremely heavy implications and strong definitions for divination."

"Dumb it down for Miwa, Nanako-chan, talk to her like she is 5," Yuuta commented after seeing the mild look of confusion on Miwa's face.

Nanako took his suggestion at face value and re-explained, "Magic symbols, great power, and fortune telling."

Miwa nodded then when she realized she just got insulted seemed to get steamed up, much to the delight of her friends who got a good laugh out of her reaction. Things were not exactly business-as-usual for the trio. In fact things were better than they were before, what had once been a fairly superficial connection with Yuuta and a dedicated but simple friendship with Miwa, Nanako realized that despite the hardship they went through they came out stronger and closer together than when they went into it. A lot of things about her Big Bro's relationship with his friends was starting to become clearer if they truly were fighting monsters back then. However, simply knowing the reason was not yet enough to satisfy her quest for knowledge. Somehow, she needed to get more information on his adventures without revealing that she knows about Personas or other worlds.

"So how do we proceed from here?" Nanako asked. "What does our next step look like?"

"How should I know?" Miwa asked. "I mean we just kind fell into the first time. Do we just wait and to find out if we hear about anymore ransackings, maybe?"

Yuuta nodded. "We don't really have a way to stop it, so we might as well be on standby to help anyone else who gets sucked into the Mirror World," he offered. They all agreed this would be the best thing.

"I just wonder why only some people get sucked into it. Cause the soulmate angle just doesn't make sense to me," Nanako commented. "Something clearly has to be targeting those that get taken."

"If it does, I can't think of any reason for it. All the people involved are almost completely unrelated except for the fact that they played the Mirror Game in the first place," Yuuta replied.

"Do you think Yukine could have been a Persona-user?" Miwa asked quietly.

Nanako thought about this for a moment and then it occurred to her. "Why don't we go and ask Eiddet? She has been in the TV World all this time, if there is something we would need to know about it she would be our best bet."

"Let's go find her!"

The three of them made their way to the mirror aisle. When the coast was clear, they all went into the Mirror World. I area around the Mirror however was different. When first they had come here, the Mirror World's mirror aisle was dark, faded. However, it was now almost like a real mirror image to the aisle they had left.

"Eiddet?" Nanako called out. The squeaking of shoes caught all of their attentions.

"What?" Eiddet asked with a hint of frustration. "Why are you here?"

"We had some questions for you Eiddet. About the Mirror World?" Miwa offered.

Eiddet groaned and then replied, "Alright…?"

"Do you know why it pulls people in?"

"It doesn't. Next?"

"Wait, what?" Yuuta asked.

Eiddet looks at him and shrugs, "What do you mean, 'what?' I have been here for eight years, I would know if this world was just pulling people in like it was a thing to do."

"Then why did I get pulled in here?" Miwa asked. "Or Yukine-chan? Or the other guy?"

"I don't believe that it did, otherwise where is everyone who would be in here if it did?"

"Wait, Eiddet you have been in here for 8 years?" Nanako asked.

Eiddet nodded. "Ever since that damnable Teddie stepped out of his little TV World," Eiddet explained. "This has been my own little place. Well as long as I don't mind sharing it with the Shadows, but they usually don't mind me."

"Does that mean you are the dark side of Teddie?" Nanako reasoned.

"No," Eiddet replied a bit annoyed. "To be honest, I don't know what I am. Like I said, Shadows are not meant to have reflections. I shouldn't exist. But I do. But I sure as hell am not a shadow."

"Teddie is a shadow?" Nanako asked.

Miwa at the same time moved forward and pulled on the mascot head. "Then this should just about prove it," she exclaimed straining against the force that Eiddet used to hold it on. However it pulled off and revealed within was… a blond long-haired girl.

"No!" Eiddet shrieked. Pushing herself back into a corner hiding herself inside her mascot suit. "Give it back," she demanded quietly. The suit looked like it was stuck in the wall from the angle the three teens were seeing this display.

"Eiddet? You are a human?" Nanako asked still holding on to the now inanimate mascot head.

"No. Yes. I dunno. Give it back."

Nanako approached the girl in bear suit. "Will you please come out?"

"No. I'm naked. Nude. Give it back. Go away."

Nanako looked back at Miwa who understood and immediately grabbed Yuuta and pulled him back through the Mirror into the real world. "It is just us now, Eiddet. Please come out," Nanako asked gently. She took off her light jacket to hand to the girl in front of her.

Eiddet pulled the edge of the suit down and saw that Nanako was telling the truth and offering a jacket. Eiddet grabbed the coat and disappeared back into the suit. A few moments after, Eiddet finally emerged from her suit sitting against the wall with Nanako's coat on. Nanako took another look at the girl in front of her. The long blond hair framed a doll like face with skin like porcelain. Her eyes were a particularly light shade of blue.

"How much do you know about Teddie?"

"I… used to know everything about him. But the longer he was in your world, the less like his Shadow I was and the more like a stranger he became. I couldn't stand seeing him out there enjoying everything while I was stuck here. After a while, our connection became so weak he began to have his own reflection. I was left alone here without a person to be connected to. After a while, I grew to hate everything that he was. I still do. So here I am, unchanging and in stasis here. Until you people started showing up around here reminding me what it was like to have people around. It is why I kept pushing you out of here. It is painful having people around here after so long," Eiddet explained.

"Just one more question, then. How is Teddie a Shadow if he can be out in my world? Why does he have a human body?" Nanako asked.

Eiddet thought for a moment. "I am not entirely certain. Shadows are discarded emotions and pieces from a human. They only really look like their owner when in close proximity like what happened with your friends. I suppose it could be possible for a Shadow to become so independent of its creator that it could start mimicking humanity again. Especially if they were never denied just forgotten. Like I was until last week."

Nanako nodded. "Then I will leave you be, Eiddet. If anyone else falls in here, we'll take them back out. Keep the jacket," Nanako handed Eiddet the mascot head and then stepped back out into the real world.

"So, did we find anything out?" Yuuta asked upon Nanako's return.

"Eiddet is adamant that the Mirror World is not the thing pulling people in. On top of which, she has been pretty much alone in there for the last eight years. So people getting stuck in there only started happening recently. I just don't get it. Why now?" Nanako asked with the new information on hand.

"Well then it has to be a someone rather than a something right? I mean I wouldn't imagine that worlds just start changing their own rules," Yuuta said out loud, then suddenly an idea came to mind. "It would have to be a someone. If someone has written new rules for the world. It is like when a TV show gets a new writer and things change. The Featherman shows do this constantly especially between the various difference series. Someone has to be doing it."

"I guess that kinda makes sense, except Eiddet says she has been the only one there for 8 years besides the shadows. Who could make that change?" Miwa retorted.

"I dunno, that would depend on how changes can be made to that world," Yuuta replied.

Nanako shrugged. "Well it is a working theory for the time being, until then, I'll keep an eye out for any more reports of ransackings. Let's get out of this aisle before we attract attention again," Nanako suggested.

* * *

Nanako split away from the others to make her way home. However, on her way down the floodplain she came across a familiar mop of blonde. Shima.

"Shima-senpai?" she asked the upperclassman who appeared to just be blanking out in the gazebo. Her voice calling his name sounded far away in that moment to even Nanako until she saw him realize that he was not alone anymore.

"Dojima. What are you doing here?" Shima asked.

Nanako walked over to him as she replied, "I was just heading home and noticed you here. What are you doing out here?"

Shima shifted his weight slightly then got himself to sit up a little straighter. "To be honest, I was just letting time slip by. Nothing much else to do around here in Inaba," was his reply. However, Nanako noticed a small grimace appear and just as quickly disappear on his face. It looked like he was in pain.

"Are you alright senpai?" Nanako asked.

Shima's eyebrow raised for a moment at the question. "So you noticed that, huh?" he asked Nanako. She nodded. "Have you ever heard of Phantom Pain?" Shima asked. Nanako shook her head, a little nervous to speak as if to mess up this conversation.. "Have you ever had a leg fall asleep when your sitting on it weirdly? It gets all sensitive once you let blood flow return where temperature changes hurt like hell, physical contact is like being torn apart. Take that sensation, multiply it, and be ready for it to happen at any and all times in the place where you used to have a body part. Phantom pain."

"I'm sorry to hear that senpai," Namako apologized.

"Why?" Shima asked. "What do you feel you need to apologize for?"

"I don't know," Nanako answered. "I guess, it is just an impulse."

Shima hummed in response and the two of them fell silent. "So here is a question, if you don't mind my curiosity."

"Um, sure?" Nanako replied uncertainty.

"Why aren't you scared of me?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Why aren't you scared of me? Your two friends see me and shrink a full three inches in height. Yet you straighten up and face off against me? Everyone at that school shrinks around me. Why not you?"

Nanako simply smiled and replied, "Because beneath it all, I know there is a real person in there. You are not the first tough guy I've met, Shima. People are scared of the image you put out sure, but I know that you are more than that. As my Big Bro Kanji once said, 'I was just trying to look tough. But if I am going to be truly strong, I'm gonna start by not lying to myself.' He said that to me once when I asked him about why he was unbleaching his hair and dropping his leather coat look. But he taught me there is always more to people, especially like you."

"Huh, you may have a point. Too bad the real me is something I can never go back to," Shima commented as he stood up. "Look, I know it isn't my place to ask you for a favor, but you are pretty much the only person who I think would be able to make much of a difference. There is a classmate of mine named Shiho. Could you maybe find some time to talk with her. She doesn't have many friends around here and could use someone like you around." With that he started walking away before Nanako could respond. He heaved a sigh and Nanako watched his shoulders drop further. Something was bugging him. Was it something to do with this Shiho person? Nanako would need to ask her friends if they knew anything. But he was not going to open up to her. She sat there in thought for a while longer until finally she pushed Shima out of her mind. She would need to just go home for tonight.


	6. Chapter 6: One Foot In The Grave

**Author's Note: So this is one of the darker chapters. I will not mince words. There will be talks of suicide, depression, bullying, and just generally dark subjects. So if for any reason you feel that this may negatively impact you, I offer you this warning now before you get started. If you would like to receive a more basic summary of this chapter should any of the above be a problem for you, please PM me and I will make sure to get back to you with a summary so that you can continue on with the story, assuming you are still interested. So buckle up, this is gonna be a harsh one.**

 **~Noxmad**

* * *

Nanako had passed out in the living room when she the sound of the front door closing heavily woke her up. Her dad's slurred voice catching her attention. He was drunk. Nanako rubbed the sleep from her eyes to see that it was 3:06 AM. Another voice caught her attention as two people left the entryway entering the main room.

"Ok, it is time to get you to bed Detective," Chie said to the drunken detective. Ryotaro simply grumbled under his breath about things being broken. "Oh, hey Nanako-chan. We didn't wake you did we?"

"Big Sis Chie? Why did dad get drunk? He usually only does this with frustrating cases," Nanako commented getting up to help Chie with getting her father to his room. After they got him on his futon they left him there. He quickly dozed off. Chie joined Nanako back downstairs where the two of them sat down at the table.

"It's the ransackings. To be honest, he hasn't seen a case this frustrating since those murders back in the day. I can't say I blame him for wanting to throw back a few after yet another unexplained ransacking tonight," Chie explained leaning against her hand wistfully.

"There was another one?" Nanako asked, shocked.

"Yeah, it happened at the hospital. Late night appointments were interrupted, one of the entrances got clogged with police vehicles, it was a bit of a nightmare. Worst of all, it happened in such a public location that if anyone could be missing like the first two cases, we probably would never know," Chie explained. "Sometimes I wish your Big Bro was still around. Yu had a knack for this kind of stuff. Y'know, problem solving."

Nanako tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean, Big Sis?"

"When I first started training to become a police officer, he was the one who helped me with a lot of the more intelligent stuff. Helped me figure out how to find and focus on the important details while discarding anything that was not useful. His goal was for me to be a prime candidate for detective as quickly as possible and become your dad's partner. I don't know if that is going to happen anytime soon, but I do hope it happens eventually. It would be great to be trained under one of the best detectives in Japan," Chie went on about her job. Nanako could not remember the last time she had ever seen Chie this passionate about something that was not a martial arts film.

"Hey Big Sis? What was Big Bro like when he first got here?" Nanako asked after a moment.

Chie laughed. "Well I was wondering when it was going to be my turn. Heard you have been quite determined to get information on him for a while now. I was beginning to feel left out!" she exclaimed.

Nanako laughed a little as well. So it seemed all of their group was still tightly knit. Did her Big Bro know about the questions too?

"Well to be honest, he was quiet when he first got here. You probably noticed it. However, it was never the shy type of quiet that usually comes with being the new kid on the block. He was analytical. There was never a time when he was not thinking and observing something. Unlike me or Yosuke, he was attentive in class and never wavered in his studies. Me and Yukiko were the first to really approach him though. However, with my finger on the pulse of popular gossip topics at school, I knew he was pretty popular with the ladies from day one. Though personal experience can attest to that," Chie explained.

"I see," Nanako said with a small nod. "Thanks, Big Sis."

"Nanako-chan, why are you suddenly so curious about this, huh? People don't just suddenly get invested in things this fast without a reason," Chie told her. "So what's up? Girl time."

Nanako remembered her conversation with her friends earlier that day. She would have to leave the Mirror World and Personas out of this. "I recently was talking with my best friend Miwa. She mentioned that it was strange how you all only knew my Big Bro for a year and yet at his request you all continued to spend time with me, even once he was gone. What started as a look at the past ended up digging up other memories. About Namatame and my… death," she explained.

Chie's face immediately changed into a sad look. "Oh man," Chie said. She seemed to be fighting with herself about something. Like there was something on the tip of her tongue and she could figure out whether or not she wanted to say it. Finally after a moment she said, "That was one of the scariest times of our lives."

"I know. It does scare me some now. I didn't really think about it when I was younger but as I got older, I don't know it just got under my skin," Nanako explained. Chie got up and embraced the teenage girl.

"Well I am here if you ever want to talk about it alright?"

"I'll be fine for now. You should go home and get some rest, Big Sis," Nanako told her. Chie agreed after another quick squeezing hug she made her way back out of the Dojima Residence. Nanako immediately took her phone out and sent out a text.

 _New ransacking. Hospital. Any ideas?_

She set her phone down on table in the living room and decided to just sleep out in the living room. Consciousness began to slip away from her as soon as she was laying down again. Tomorrow, she and her friends would go look for the new person in the Mirror World.

* * *

The school day was dragging on and on. Ms. Matsunaga was teaching the class about History. However she decided that she wanted to spend more of the day focusing on historical mythologies. Something that caught Nanako's attention was the mention of Greek Mythology. The Primordials, which made way to the Titans, who were then overthrown by the new pantheon known as the Gods. The personas had all referred to themselves as Titans. Maybe that was something Nanako could try to look into further at another time. In the meantime, there was someone to save, and if it was anything like the last time, literally from themselves. Unlike with Miwa where her laser focus had been the reason the day had gone by so quickly, the shades of gray painted by a lack of knowledge of their target left Nanako anxious. It was possible they could even be an adult or a child who caught wind of the Mirror game.

When school finally ended, the three friends made their way to Junes quickly. They could waste no time getting there. The three of them stepped through the mirror once the coast was clear. Upon entering the world with combative intent, Nanako's giant hammer was back in her hand. Miwa was wielding some kind of ornate quarterstaff. Yuuta found a sword in one hand and a spartan style shield in the other.

"Nice weapons," a sarcastic voice said off to the side. There was Eiddet in her suit walking up to them.

Nanako then asked her, "Has anyone else been in here?"

Eiddet nodded. "Hot fresh from your world over 12 hours ago. Something weird has happened though that I should probably warn you about," she explained.

"What is that?" Miwa asked.

"Well," Eiddet started hesitantly. "This one has made a pretty significant change to this world. Remember how Miwa's shadow broke chunks out of the city? Well this one completely transformed a building!" Eiddet's tone got louder and more worried over time.

Yuuta scratched his chin. "Who could it be though, I don't think anyone was missing from school, though let's be real we're all first years, who's going to tell us anything?" he remarked.

"True," Nanako said.

"No sense just waiting around here then, Eiddet can you show us the way?" Miwa said taking charge. The group all steeled themselves and began to make their way deeper into the Mirror World. Like last time, some smaller shadows got wise to their presence and attacked but they were just as easily dispatched as ever. After some time the group saw the Hospital and Eiddet had not been lying when she said that this building had transformed. The only reason they knew it was the hospital was because it matched the location in all other aspects. Position in the town, nearby landmarks. Everything simply made sense. Except the building itself was changed. Decrepit and looking like a hospital but if it had been designed by some kind of horror novelist or mangaka.

"So," Yuuta started awkwardly. "I am not the only one completely terrified of this place right? Right?" The people traveling him did not answer but no one moved any closer. Finally after a while, Yuuta stepped forward shield at the ready. "Let's go." The made their way closer to the hospital and standing at the doorway was a familiar figure. Blonde hair, two canes in hand and strangely enough two complete legs in a soccer uniform.

"So, its you three. Now I feel like I shoulda known that if anyone was going to be involved in something like this, it would be you. So tell me, you like my hospital? I had to renovate pretty heavily but now it matches the one I went to," the yellow eyes seemed to shine. This Shadow Shima was far too energetic and that was probably the thing that unnerved them most. The Shadow simply smirked and headed into the hospital spinning the canes in his hands. He quickly disappeared behind closed doors.

Another pause. "So it was Shima," Miwa summarized. "Why the hell would a guy like that play the Mirror Game? He seems far too 'I-don't-care-about-your-conformity- games,' to play a game like the Mirror Game."

"Wishful thinking maybe?" Yuuta commented. "Might prove to him that he is not a total reject?"

Nanako looked at him angrily. "Is this really the time for that Yuuta?" This outburst caught both of her friends off guard. "And even if that was the case, is it such a bad thing to want to know if there is someone in the world for you?"

"What?" Yuuta asked. "I mean if the guy hasn't figured it already, YOU know that people don't care about him. He acts all high and mighty when he is just some punk who would more likely end up dead in a ditch before showing up for school."

Nanako's mouth simply hung open looking at him. Regaining her composure enough to walk away, she then turned and headed for the door. Miwa close in tow. Yuuta still slightly shocked by her response brought up the rear.

Heading into the building was strange. The temperature dropped drastically and they found themselves in an obnoxiously ordinary looking hospital. Pictures on the walls showed a young Shima was dark brown hair holding Trophies, a soccer ball, everything that a sports kid could have ever dreamed about. There was even copies of the trophies on shelves a soccer ball in the corner. It was definitely a hospital but it was decorated like a museum exhibit.

"It is just a hospital on the inside?" Miwa asked after taking it all in. "It cannot be that simple right?"

"Let's find out, it is just a hallway and a flight of stairs," Nanako said walking down the hall. The others followed her.

The second floor was the disturbing turn they thought it was going to be as the pictures were changed. Bloody smudges replaced Shima in the pictures, accidents in the background of cars smashed together. Many of the important items had been replaced with medical equipment. IV drips stood ownerless, empty hospital beds littered the hallway, and toolds had replaced many of the smaller objects.

"What the hell?" Yuuta felt the words escape his lips.

"So was it a car crash that took his leg then?" Miwa asked.

Nanako nodded. "I think so. And if I am following the pictures correctly, I get the feeling he was not in a vehicle when it happened. Shima showed up in Inaba with a prosthetic right?"

"It would explain why I never heard about him being some kind of superstar player," Miwa commented. There was a door that led into a room with a hospital bed. There was a blood stained sheet laying over something vaguely leg shaped. It was just there out in the open in an otherwise empty room with a bright light shining down from above. "Oh god, is that what I think it is supposed to be?"

Before anyone could answer they heard Shima's voice which seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It said, " _They told me they were happy to have me in town. That I was going to be a great addition to the team. Then the accident happened. My first year as a High Schooler was pure hell. I became a target of ridicule, especially from the team. I finally had to act out enough to get my family to transfer me again. So here I am in Inaba…"_

The voice fell silent. "God, I hate teens sometimes," Miwa remarked bitterly.

Nanako nodded. "It just isn't fair that they would attack him like that for his accident," she added. Yuuta remained silent.

The three of them left the room through the other door and found themselves in another hallway. It was lined with wheelchairs and crutches. On the far end another door stood in their way. The group continued heading forward. Opening the door however revealed another horrifying sight. A single noose hanging from the middle of the room, from what appeared to a never ending darkness above them and a still standing chair.

"Does this mean-. Uh," Yuuta started. Nanako looked at the things in front of her and saw a side to Shima that was starting to become painfully clear. He was in misery. His voice then sounded again.

 _"It's not that I didn't like them. My classmates I mean. I just can't stand the way they always look at me. The pitying look. Or that superior look. I just see it, and I feel this overwhelming need to wipe it off their face. The adrenaline from fighting taking over like some kind of pain numbing drug. Some wonderful release. A terrible temporary relief. Because then it starts to hurt again… and I want to look for something more permanent."_

The group was quiet. "Shima-senpai wants to kill himself?" Miwa asked.

"It looks like he did want it. Maybe now it something more of an always open option for him," Nanako suggested. "Let's keep going. We have to find him."

"Nanako?" Yuuta asked aloud.

Nanako looked at him quietly.

"I just wanted to say that I am sorry. For my remarks earlier. I just have a bad history with guys like him and I may have unfairly judged him."

"You did unfairly judge him. But you don't need to apologize to me. I just need you to promise me that you aren't going to do it again," Nanako responded seriously. Kanji had been far too good a person to Nanako for her to let someone who reminded her so much of him be spoken about so harshly. Shima was troubled he needed someone to treat him like a human and not like a patient, a display, or a freak.

Yuuta nodded. "I promise."

Nanako looked at him for a moment longer and finally replied. "Ok."

"Can we get going?" Eiddet asked. The group finally was ready to keep going.

Walking through the far door in the room and leaving the noose behind, the group found themselves in a strange room. Rows of seats surrounded a glass dome. Down below the dome was Shima sitting against a wall in his school uniform. He held his head in his hands and was curled up against the circular wall. To be honest, Nanako thought he looked like a cornered wounded animal. Standing on the dome was the soccer uniform clad shadow version.

"Welcome to the observation deck. Allow me to introduce you to today's patient. He is a 17 year old, asian male, with an athletic build. However there has been irreversible damage caused to his lower leg. We will have to amputate it as to prevent infections and to remove the now useless appendage. Side effects may include: social ridicule, constant pain, mental anguish, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Let's give it up for Shima Okazaki!" Shadow Shima said gesture with one of the two canes to his other self down below. It was a learning hospital set-up and Shima's shadow was presenting it more like a ringmaster at the circus than a medical procedure.

"Shima-senpai?" Nanako called out ignoring the shadow. "Are you alright?" This caught his attention and he looked up to see the three first years from Junes.

"Dojima?" she heard him respond quietly.

His shadow suddenly slammed his canes down. "Excuse me. Did I give me permission to speak?" he declared. "Besides, who says you deserve this? This rescue attempt? We both know you don't."

"Shut up," Shima replied.

"Why?" the shadow taunted. "What do we have to hide, huh? That we're weak? That we can't deal with pain? That we have wanted to-"

"Shut up!" Shima yelled louder.

The shadow's eyes narrowed at the outburst. "Why run from your past, buddy? It isn't going to fix it. It isn't going to fix itself! Why bother worrying about it?"

"What do you know about my pain faker? You have both your legs!" Shima yelled pushing himself onto his feet.

"Shima, shut up!" Yuuta yelled. However his warning fell on deaf ears.

Shima's confidence rising, "What could you possibly know about me? You aren't me!"

The shadow's sick smirk took everyone off guard. "Well I suppose you are right. I am me now." Shadows swelled and the Shadow Shima began to rise into the air as he transformed. Nanako, Yuuta, and Miwa all began to take on a faint glow of blue and they all called forth their Personas.

" _So? Which of our children have you corrupted this time?"_ Themis asked casually.

Hyperion simply laughed. " _It matters not. Bring forth the enemy!"_ he called jovially.

Rhea simply shook her head and replied, " _Calm yourself Hyperion. Your bloodlust is showing."_

The swarm of shadows finally cleared and beneath the miasma was a terrifyingly angry looking figure. Skin shown as a deep and burning red. Long jet black hair fell around its body wildly. A tattered toga was all it wore. His hands and feet seemed to glow like burning embers that seemed to grow brighter when he snarled. Within his grasp a giant flaming blade.

"I am the Shadow! The true self! With the power of Menoetius I will make the world burn in the flames of fury that it has stoked within me!"

The three teens found themselves as the current source of this giants ire.

" _Oh, Menoetius… what has happened to you dear child?"_ Rhea commented gently. A mass of ice gathered upon the head of Rhea's staff.

Hyperion gave a hearty laugh and as he drew his shield he gathered lightning within his grasp. " _Ah, now here is one I can sink my teeth into!"_

Themis remained quiet as she readied her hammer.

"Ok, Miwa!" Nanako called to her friend. "Try to keep him still. If this one gets going, I doubt even Yuuta's shield is going to hold him back. Freeze him in place as much as possible." Miwa saluted Nanako and she let loose a flurry of ice from her Persona. Nanako looked at Yuuta. "I need you to try to blitz him. The less he gets to act the better off we will be in this fight," she told him.

"You got it leader!" Yuuta responded and Hyperion drew his chainsaw blade and flew forward at the flaming giant.

"Nanako," Eiddet began. "I will try to keep you all up to date on what this one can do if I am able to keep up with it. You are in charge, go get your friend." Nanako nodded. Themis charged forward with her hammer. The giant was already feeling the force being wielded against it. However with a massive swing of his arms, Hyperion was thrown back into the stream of ice. It then charged forward at Themis.

"Ok, he is going to try to attack your persona with multiple attacks. If possible, try to prioritize evasion or defensive combat!" Eiddet called out.

Yuuta then focused on his Persona and shortly after a green aura emitted from Hyperion and was absorbed by Themis. Themis proceeded to dodge most of the attacks getting mildly skimmed by some swings. The giant hammer swung through the air knocking the giant back. Miwa redoubled her efforts to freeze the giant now that he was off balance allowed Hyperion to swoop into the fight to push the giant on its back. The giant became stuck on the glass dome.

Eiddet then cheered, "He's down! Get him!"

"Yuuta, Miwa! Let's try to force him through the dome, limit his movements in a smaller space," Nanako ordered. "I am going to go get Shima out of there."

" _At your order child, we will lay into that poor titan,"_ Themis said to her wielder. Nanako ran towards a downward staircase leading into the operation room. Nanako got to the door and it was locked. The lock on the inside.

"Shima! I need you to get out here!" Nanako shouted through the door. "Please! I know it is scary having to face up to reality like this. But we need your help. I promise you that things will be better if you can come to accept this side of yourself. It won't be easy. But you won't be alone! So please, help us save you!"

Miwa appeared at the top of the stairs. "Nanako, the giant is starting to get up again! We are running out of time!"

Nanako looked at her best friend and then looked at the door. The door knob was turning. It swung open and otherside was Shima, but at the smallest she had ever seen him. Nanako reached forward and grabbed his arm. "Thank you, Shima. Your strength is what is going to make this possible," she said to him as she pulled him slowly through the doorway. Closing the door behind her she called out. "Do it now!"

Themis and Hyperion both flew high up. With hammer and golden wheel extended, the two Persona fell from the sky slamming their weapons down on the shadow enemy. Glass shattered and scattered about reflecting both spark and frost alike the room looked like some kind of firework display inside a snowglobe. Nanako and Shima made their way up to the top of the observation room. The giant managed to get back onto his feet. Shima stared at the monster his shadow had become and Nanako could see something change in his gaze.

"So this is me, huh?" Shima asked aloud. He walked forward towards the giant. "Hey! Asshole! Let's just sit down and talk this out yeah?"

The giant looked down at Shima. There was a limp to his walk as he was off balance without his cane. "We have nothing to talk about. Afterall, I am fake. Not real right?"

"No you are real. We are real. So let's be real. Afterall, how strong can either of us be if we are just lying to ourselves? A friend of ours once told us that," Shima replied. The giant reeled back and readied an attack against Shima. Shima however did not flinch and blocked the attack with his arm. "I get it alright? You think I want to be doing this? With all these people here? Look, I always knew you were there. After all the shit we went through as first years, I get it. It hurt. The words were too loud, the lights were too bright. It honestly didn't get any better when we got to Inaba. Ridicule turned to isolation. I still remember the day I took the rope out of the garage, put it in my backpack. I figured if people were gonna watch me from afar, that could be their last memory of me. So far from them at from the top of the school. Then we met her. She treated us like a human. Suddenly a whole world of emotions and interactions that had been gone came back. I don't think that if she knew what we had been planning that day, if she knew everything she did for us… I don't think this is the second chance she would have wanted for us. Yeah? So let's actually try this time, yeah? Cut the bullshit. Let's make sure that Shiho's time and effort was not wasted on us." Shima began to talk on a blue aura as figure appear holding back the giant's arm revealing how he had blocked the attack.

Shima's Persona made itself seen. A powerful man covered in scars and rippling muscles. Posed beneath the arm and lifting it up it was revealed that this man was wearing an animal pelt armor with long flowing blonde hair.

" _For it is now that I reveal myself. I am Iapetus. For it is in passing that we achieve immortality._ **(1)** _However one must be fully aware of their living mortality to get the most out of this life. Let us settle this now!"_

From his belt, Iapetus drew a cane looking device. Pulling on the handle, a blade was revealed from within. The Persona stepped forward and then with a quick dash, removed the giant's head from it's shoulders. As the being faded, Shima's Shadow levitated to his counterpart and landed. The shadow was missing its leg now. With a moment of begrudging respect, Shadow Shima handed over one of the canes. Shima leaned on it as he energy was already beginning to fade.

"Together," the shadow demanded.

"No exceptions," Shima responded. A simple handshake sealed the deal as the Shadow faded away. "You're still an asshole though." Shima added afterward.

Nanako approached him. "Shima-senpai? Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" he responded. "I'm just tired. Can we go?"

Yuuta stepped forward, "I'll lead the way, Senpai."

"Thanks, Minami," Shima said to the underclassman.

* * *

The group filled Shima in as best they could on their way through the Mirror World back to Junes.

"Well suddenly your always being there makes a lot of sense," he commented dryly. "I need rest. Can we pick this up again later?"

"Of course, Senpai," Miwa responded.

"I'll help you get home," Nanako told him.

Eiddet pulled on Shima's sleeve. "So which high school student are you?" Shima asked.

"I am not one. My name is Eiddet I was wanting to ask if you remember what happened when you got in here?" Eiddet asked him.

Shima nodded. "I was standing in front of the mirror at the hospital. For whatever reason I remembered the Mirror Game. I dunno if it was just a moment of desperation or delusion but I just needed to try it. Next thing I know I am here. I can't remember anything else, though."

"Thanks," Eiddet replied. "Now everyone leave. I got snooping to do!"

The teens all said goodbye to Eiddet. Stepping back out into Junes, Shima stumbled and ended up on the ground. "Damn it, I am a third year, I shouldn't be acting like this," he joked. The other three underclassmen looked at him as he got back on his feet and laughed at the joke, harkening back to the day they met. Nanako waved to the other two as she walked with Shima since he still seemed a little unbalanced.

"So, how are you feeling Shima?" she asked him after a moment.

Shima responded, "A little embarrassed. Just had to spill my guts in front of a bunch of people. You all got to see the parts of me that I am not proud of…" Shima replied honestly.

"It is alright," Nanako told him with a smile. "Can I ask you about something though? Do you still feel like you want to kill yourself?"

Shima became really quiet. The two of them walked in silence for a period of time. Nanako opened her mouth to apologize when he said, "I can't say that I want to. I won't say that I haven't thought of it as an option. But I have not wanted to die since then."

Nanako nodded. "Good."

"Doji-... Nanako? I, uh…" Shima started to say but it seemed like the words could not get in order.

"What is it?"

 _Thank you. He is trying to say thank you._ Themis's voice said in her ear.

Nanako stopped walking and Shima followed suit still trying to find the words. "Shima, you're welcome," Nanako told him. He nodded slowly and she smiled at him. She then proceeded to continue walking. As she passed him she teased, "Clearly you are too tired. Let's get you to your house, alright?"

"Yeah," Shima agreed with a warmth radiating through him.. He followed her into the setting sun. After a moment, a small smile landed on his face. For the first time in a long time, he was happy.

* * *

 **1: This is a direct partial quote from the internet series RWBY. I had meant to getting around to uploading this chapter sooner (about 16 days sooner). For those who may not be aware, the creator of RWBY was a man named Monty Oum. A great inspiration of mine and part of the reason that I decided to start posting my Fanfics to this website. He unfortunately passed away a few years back on February 1, 2015. My biggest regret being that I never got the opportunity to meet him. So I wanted to just give a dedication to him and his memory. Thank you so much for all the inspiration Monty.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Sky Fall

**Author's Note: So this is a big one. This is the longest chapter I have written and it could have been longer but I decided to split it out into two since this chapter was already beginning to get into another major subject of this story. So similar to the previous chapter, this chapter will get very dark including mentions of sexual abuse. However, this chapter in particular is fairly important for the future proceedings of this story. I hope you enjoy my glimpse into the psyche of Shiho Suzui "The Girl Persona 5 Forgot" and I hope you enjoy where this story is heading. Reviews always welcome.**

 **~Noxmad**

* * *

Shiho gripped her pillow tightly as she tried to calm down. The nightmares were always most prevalent in the spring as school started. Getting up and stumbling her way to the bathroom she turned on the light and stared at herself in the mirror as her breath returned to normal. Her hair down and disheveled. The face of the man who ruined her life imprinted in her mind, Shiho needed to try to get her mind off of her past. She turned the sink on and began to splash water on her face.

"Why did he have to choose me?" Shiho asked herself. However she knew all too well why she was chosen. "Because he wanted to use me to get to Ann." Shiho's blood began to boil. She did not want to be angry at Ann. Tears began building in her eyes as Shiho realized that she was beginning to hate Ann for what her existence took away. The worst part was the near radio silence that now existed between the two of them. Ann promised she would text and keep in touch to maintain their friendship. No, Ann failed her and that was the thing that stung Shiho the most. It seemed that Shima was the closest thing she had to a friend left now.

Speaking of which, Shima had missed school that day. The only person who talked to her about things that did not revolve around what had happened back , he never talked about his leg. She was morbidly curious about it but she did not ever ask about it for the reason she was thankful that he did not ask about her past. Yet there was something that was not satisfying about that kind of friendship. She needed a new topic.

The Mirror Game had been a topic of interest at school recently. Shiho looked down at the small clock in the family bathroom. It had been there since she came home when she was still more heavily reliant of medication. It was only 11:43. But didn't you need to play the game on a Sunday? Why would that be such a concrete condition of the game? Has anyone tried it on a different day?

"Well, I am awake already," Shiho commented. It could be fun to see your soulmate. According to some of the girls in class it seems to work, so they claim. Though there was a point of dispute then one girl saw member of a popular boy band. Did Shiho really want to see someone? Who? Shiho was slightly lost in thought.

Looking at the clock, it was now 11:59. All you had to do was stand in front of a mirror with a hand up and pressed against it. Then say your name 3 times. 12:00AM

"Shiho Suzui, Shiho Suzui, Shiho Suzui."

1...2...3… nothing happened.

Shiho sighed then stifled a laugh at herself for being so childish. It seemed you did have to play the game on Sunday after all. Shiho began to turn but her hand would not leave the glass. Suddenly she felt fingers slip between her own. Shiho's blood turned to ice as she looked back at the mirror. Her reflection was still, but the fingers had pushed through her mirror and wrapped around her own hand.

Shiho's breath hitched as she felt herself begin to panic. Her heart rate rose rapidly. The reflection yanked back and Shiho felt herself fly forward into the Mirror .expecting a solid surface, she was met with what felt like liquid. Soon though, she felt a numbing sensation and everything began to go black. The last thing she remembered was the sound of breaking glass.

* * *

Nanako was exhausted. The fight with Shima's shadow had been devastating to their group. They had won but just the sheer pressure that he laid down on them, took on a lot of mental strain to combat. Nanako sat in the living room with the lights out as she was getting a headache. The phone rang across the room making Nanako flinch. Getting up from her spot on the couch she made her way across the room to pick up the phone.

"Dojima residence?"

"Nanako-chan? This is Yosuke! I am sorry for the late call, had I gotten the opportunity to call earlier I totally would have done it then. Is your uncle there?" the familiar voice of Yosuke Hanamura came over the phone.

"Oh, hey Big Bro Yosuke!" Nanako said cheerfully. "But no, Dad's not home yet. He came home drunk last night so he had a late start today."

"I see. From what he and Chie told me, I guess I don't blame him."

"Why are you looking for him?"

"Oh," Yosuke said surprised. "Well to be honest, Dojima has been trying to get in touch with your Big Bro. He asked me to try to get them in touch since he was so busy. I was just going to tell him tha-" Yosuke's voice was cut off suddenly.

"Nana-chan! Hey! This is your King Teddie just wanting to say that I miss you and-" another voice of Teddie comingo n the line only to be just as abruptly knocked off of it.

"You stupid bear!" she heard in the background as it seemed the two of them still fight over phones to speak with people. Nanako giggled listening to them. It had been a long time since she had gotten to see them ever since Yosuke had been sent to manage a new Junes store over in Tokyo. It had kept him busy for a long time. "Anyway as I was trying to say, I just needed to let your dad know that I was not able to get ahold of your Big Bro. However, Rise has told me that she will let him know. So I would probably expect him to call sometime in the next few days."

Nanako took a pen and wrote down what Yusuke told her. "Alright I will let him know the next time I see him. Big Bro Yosuke, what is going on?" Nanako asked him.

"Well, nothing too much. It just seems that Dojima thinks that your Big Bro might be able to help shed some perspective on some recent crime spree that is happening over in Inaba," Yosuke explained.

"Why would he ask Big Bro?" Nanako asked.

Yosuke chuckled. "Well your Big Bro is one of the smartest people I know. Book smarts and street smarts are all just natural for him. Both he and Naoto are invaluable assets when it comes to figuring out problems like this."

"Hey Yosuke, can I ask you something else?" Nanako asked, approaching the topic carefully. Yosuke hummed in affirmation. "Can you tell me why you and Big Bro are best friends?"

"Ah, the infamous Yu Narukami Questionnaire! Yosuke Hanamura steps up to the podium," Yosuke teased for a moment. It seemed like it was unbelievably clear that all of them knew about her questions now. "But to be completely honest, I don't know why he would settle for a guy like me. But anyone would be lucky to have a guy like him as a friend. Let alone Rise and him being an item and just a regular picture of perfection there. Narukami and I are best friends because we both completely respect and understand each others stances on life. We give each other a shoulder to lean on."

"I see," Nanako commented. "Thanks, Yosuke."

"No problem Nanako-chan. I will be trying to get some time off from work so you may see me in Inaba soon! Talk to you later!" Yosuke said cheerfully. Nanako said her goodbyes and hung up the phone. Taking out her cell phone she dialed a number. After two rings she heard the voice of Shima.

"Just a second!" he told her and she could hear him drop the phone. "Son of a biiiiii-" he said cutting himself short of finishing his sentence. Finally the phone was picked up again she heard, "This is Shima."

Nanako held back a small laugh. "Shima it is Nanako," she told him.

He swore under his breath. "Sorry if you heard any of that. I just was moving some stuff around my room and ended up getting tripped up when my prosthetic slipped. So what's up? What did you need?"

"Well I needed to ask you a piece of advice. Fresh perspective from the newest Persona-user in our group," Nanako told him.

Shima scoffed. "I may be a different perspective but you are seriously asking me about this? I mean go ahead, I guess."

"Well…" Nanako started. She explained to him the original reason that all of this had started. She described her Big Bro, his friends, the years they had spent looking out for her on his behalf, the working theory about their high school years, and even the fact that her father was reaching out to him for advice on the ransacking cases. After all of this she finally asked him her question. "If he was involved in this type of event, then would it be in theory possible that a TV World did in fact exist and therefore, a different location for shadows to show up?"

Shima was quiet for a few moment. Nanako overheard sirens over the phone passing by his house. Finally after a moment he said, "Have you tried sticking your hand in the TV?"

"What?"

"If you think that it is possible that he, this guy Narukami, was involved in a case like this a long time ago, then clearly it would mean that yes, they did deal with some very similar to us right? Then it would have meant that what you describe was real. Which then would mean that father, knowing something about what had happened back then, would suspect that what is happening around Inaba this time around may also be supernatural in nature. Have you tried just sticking your hand in?" Shima reasoned out loud to her. Nanako found herself edging closer to the TV as he spoke. It seemed like such a simple solution. Kneeling down in front of the TV that had been in their living room.

"Well, here goes nothing then," Nanako said into her phone.

Shima grunted. "Let me know what you find out."

Nanako reached out slowly. Her breath became shallow as Shima made her realize that this would confirm everything that she had ever suspected. The moment of truth was upon her. Then the front door opened. Nanako's hand immediately moved to the dial turning the TV on.

"Well, Shima thanks for telling me about Miwa's phone. I will call you back later to remind you to get it back to her," Nanako told him quickly. Shima was quiet for a moment. "No, I may be asleep then. Well, my dad's home now so I may not be free to talk then. Talk to you tomorrow."

"I see. Goodnight, Nanako," Shima replied knowingly. The line cutoff.

"Dad? You are home late again," Nanako said turning from the TV looking at her father. He looked tired.

Dojima simply sighed. "I know, Nanako. I am sorry," he told her. "Just another call and I was told to go ahead and take the rest of the night off. Two in a row. Are you kidding me? Did anyone call today?"

Nanako nodded. "Big Bro Yosuke called. He said to tell you that Big Bro was not available to talk when he called him but that Rise will make sure he calls you some time in the next couple of days," Nanako recounted the note she wrote to her father.

"Well that's good," he replied with a yawn.

Nanako got up and walked over to him. "These ransackings are taking a toll on you, Dad. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he replied. "But Satonaka has been really stepping up on this case. I am seriously impressed by her. I think I am going to put in my recommendation for promotion to detective if she can keep it up. Can't believe I am basically watching that kid grow thanks to your cousin."

Nanako smiled at his words. "Did you say two in row?" Nanako asked making sure she heard it correctly.

"Yeah. This time it was at another house. The Suzui Residence," Dojima replied as he sat down on the couch. "It just doesn't make any sense to me. None of the locations lineup, nothing is ever missing. Just broken stuff everywhere. With the exception of the first two, there hasn't even been a missing person. At least not until tonight. Ah, I really shouldn't be talking about this."

"I'll keep it to myself, Dad," Nanako told him. He gave her a thin smile. He said goodnight to her and headed off to bed. Nanako sighed. Shima's words from the other day came back to her. Nanako headed over to the TV and turned it off. She was just about to reach into it when in a moment of hesitation her phone went off. Looking at her phone, it was a call from Shima.

"Hel-" Nanako started but Shima's voice cut her off.

"Nanako. Shiho has been taken. The cops are at her house. She's gone." Shima said in a bizarrely calm tone through the receiver.

Nanako looked down at her hand just above the surface of the TV. "Then it looks like we are going to have to find her tomorrow then. Try to get some rest Shima. You won't be any use to her tired," Nanako said as her muscles ached.

"After school right?" Shima asked insistently.

Nanako hummed.

Shima after a moment said, "So have you stuck your hand in the damn TV yet?"

"How did you know that I had not done it yet?" Nanako asked him.

"Cause I figured it might be such an important thing that you would be extremely nervous to try it out?" He reasoned. Nanako could not believe that this guy was almost failing out of high school. "Are you afraid?"

Nanako sighed. "It is a bit nerve wracking," she answered honestly.

"Did you need some help?"

Nanako hesitated. "Yes."

"Come over here. My mom's asleep and dad's at work," Shima said. "See you in a bit."

Nanako got up from her position at the TV and made her way over to the entryway. She slipped her shoes on and grabbed her extra key. Making her way out into the night she headed deeper into the residential district. Soon she found a familiar blonde standing outside a house. Shima was wearing his long black pants from his uniform and a white long sleeve shirt.

"Hey," Shima said with a quick wave.

Nanako nodded. She followed him inside his house. Nanako immediately noticed how clean the place looked. "So where is your TV?" she asked.

Shima opened a large cabinet door on a piece of furniture in the main room. It was a little larger than her own. Somehow it not being her own TV made it seem less intimidating. She stepped towards it with hand outstretched and she hesitated again.

"What's stopping you?" Shima asked her.

"I- don't know," Nanako said strangely. Suddenly she was moved forward by him with a gentle push and her hand sank into the TV screen. "It was real… it was all real."

Shima walked forward and also pressed his hand against the screen and felt his hand sink into it as well. "Well, shiii- eesh." He said remembering his current company. "After we save Shiho. Maybe we take a look in here as well?"

Nanako nodded. They took their hands out of the TV. "I just can't believe it," Nanako said quietly. She tried to hold back a sob. Everything started to wash over her again as she began to play back events that took her up to her death. Nametame showed up with a delivery. Then he grabbed her and pulled her into his truck. Next to her was a TV. Soon after he joined her in the back of the truck and they jumped into the TV. Hearing the car crash as they fell into the TV World. Being stuck in Heaven as Nametame mumbled to himself about people not understanding that he was saving her. Her Big Bro and his friends showing up. Summoning powerful creatures to fight and save her. Winding up in the hospital. Her death.

Nanako found her sobs getting stronger and she made her way out of Shima's house. Shima followed after her. She sat down on his step holding herself as the tears came and wouldn't stop. Suddenly, she found herself under a throw blanket, as Shima had draped one over her shoulders. He then sat down next to her.

"You remember when I told you about my phantom pain?" Shima asked her. She nodded. "Surprise, surprise now that you have met my shadow but that isn't the only pain I feel. I didn't start off wanting to kill myself. I just wished that the accident had just killed me rather than leaving me alive. Forever outside the realm of everything that was important to me. Soccer was the best skill set that I had growing up. What point was there in living when my only real skill was stolen from me? I was angry. Often. But, I am certain that things happen for a reason. Not necessarily like fate, just no accidents. Sure, maybe I can't be a soccer player, but I think getting to meet you guys was supposed to happen."

Nanako looked at him as the tears still streamed.

"Look, I don't know what you've been through. But the only reason I wanted to tell you this, is because I want to let someone know that I lived y'know? Like I will always remember that you did. You are still here, regardless of everything that has happened. We are still here."

Nanako sniffed and nodded. "Shima, where do you get all of this perspective from?" she asked him slowly getting control over her voice again.

Shima scoffed. "Years of pain and suffering certainly help. Maybe I could write music to spread that perspective if I ever learn to play that daaa-ng guitar in the closet. Anyway, You gotta lead us to saving Shiho tomorrow, yeah? Go get some sleep." Nanako nodded. She stood up and walked away from his house. It was not until she got home that she remembered that she still had the throw blanket on her. Nanako went straight to her room and set up her futon.

* * *

After school the following day the three first years brought their third year companion to Junes. The three first years in particular looked exhausted and Shima was definitely hiding a certain tiredness under a wall of stress. They reached out to the mirror and they all stepped through.

"Jeez, another one?" Eiddet called out to them as she saw them. "Took ya long enough to get here."

"We're so tired, give us a break you dumb bear," Yuuta replied bitterly. Eiddet just seemed to seethe. "Jeez what has you so angry."

Eiddet just grumbled about not wanting people in her Mirror World anymore and how annoying this all was for her. Nanako could suppose that she understood the bear's frustration but she was unusually aggressive this time around.

"We'll take care of this so give us a few and we'll get out of your hair, alright?" Miwa told her. "Can you help us get to the new person here?" Eiddet took the lead immediately. In fact she was so ready to go that they almost lost her a few times. The trip was so much faster than previous trips. But the trip did go faster since the location was much closer than Shima's. Getting into the residential district, they found Shiho's house and greater block had been replaced with a large school of an unfamiliar design. Well unfamiliar to most of them.

"Well shit, this is a school I didn't think I'd ever see in person," Shima said darkly. The three underclassmen looked at him. "This place just a couple years ago had a big scandal as it turned out that one of the teachers had been sexually abusing students. So far as to have one attempt suicide from the school roof. I guess I had my suspicions about why Shiho showed up in Inaba. But this…" he explained until he seemed to seethe with rage. A blue glow began to take to him.

"I don't understand," Miwa said. "What is it?"

"If this place is here, then that means that it was a place that a big impact on her, like my hospital?" Shima told her letting her come to the same conclusion he had drawn.

Yuuta's fists clenched. "No. You can't be serious," he said angrily. Nanako stepped towards the entrance of the school with the other teens following her. Standing at the door was a strangely dressed Shiho. However, the shadow's yellow eyes told them all everything they needed to know. The Shiho was wearing a rather revealing outfit that looked like it used to be a PE class uniform. However the shirt was a shredded mess showing a black lacy bra beneath. Rather than wearing normal shoes, she wore long black leather boots. To be honest she looked liked some kind of club girl if there had not been obvious bruises on her arms and neck.

"Oh?" The shadow said darkly. "More people have come here for a piece of me. Don't worry, you won't find much opposition. I am much too weak to fight back. I'll do anything just to keep my spot on the team. I'll let him do anything to me if it means I stay useful to him and his goals. So, are you here to take some of me?" Shiho's shadow asked making no move to cover herself up. She then turned away towards the door. Disappearing behind the dark miasma that seemed to seep out of the building, the four teens were left alone. Eiddet suddenly twitched.

"Go and get her out of there. I am staying out here," Eiddet commanded. The group was a little weirded out by the way she was acting but they had no reason to demand otherwise. Nanako led them into the school. Upon entering it was clear that this place was much like Shima's hospital. Anywhere they were not supposed to go seemed to not be available. However, here they were blocked off by empty, archaic looking torture devices. There were other devices for other reasons but Nanako could not let herself think about them for long. The group looked in other places. There was a lot to do with volleyball around them. Trophies sat on shelves undusted and pictures of Shiho with a blonde girl by her side.

"Who is this?" Nanako asked out loud.

"Old friend maybe?" Yuuta suggested.

Everyone was desperate to avoid the topic on the forefront of their minds. What did the rest of this and the appearance of the Shadow mean for Shiho's past? Like with Shima's hospital though, this place had a talent for bring forth the worst in the mind. Shiho's thoughts reverberating around the halls did not help with this.

" _What can one say about Ann? She's exotic. Beautiful. The perfect model. The most wanted girl in school. Everyone at one point or another had tried to suck up to her. Then she got involved in Kamoshida's schemes. To him, she was a rarity in Japan and as such could be seen as a trophy. Then you have me. Plain. Ordinary. And somehow the only person who saw past all of the superficial and the human being underneath it all. It was how we had become such great friends. So little did I know that becoming her friend would suddenly put a large target on my back in Kamoshida's eyes. Those burning, angry eyes."_

The group was silent in the wake of what they just heard. This girl in the photo was Ann. Ann seemed to be really important to Shiho. Yet somehow that importance, that friendship had put Shiho in harm's way. Shima's breath was heavy. The anger seemed to radiate off of him. Nanako could tell that he was connecting more dots. He knew Shiho. There was something extremely protective in his nature. Shima began to move on ahead.

"Shima, wait slow down!" Nanako called after him. The underclassmen following him. They got a door at the end of the hallways and pressing forward they ended up in a room completely covered in pictures of Shiho and Ann. But the lights were flickering. When the door closed behind them the lights went out entirely. When they came back on, all of the Anns in the room were scribbled out with glowing ink. On the door on the other side of the room, the word 'Hate" was written repeatedly in increasingly more and more violent looking scribbles.

"But they were best friends," Miwa commented. "Why would she hate her? Like I could never imagine hating Nanako."

Nanako agreed with a nod. Then the voice of Shiho spoke again.

" _Kamoshida never even wanted me like he wanted her. It doesn't matter that my only sin against him was being her friend. It was enough for him to do… those things."_ Shiho's voice became icy and angry as she spoke. " _I hate being mad at her, but just knowing that Ann's existence was so great, so desirable that its mere presence turned my own into nothing more than a means to an end. A simple tool. To be used when it was convenient for that monster! Why?! And even when she knows what I went through for her, she then finds it possible to go silent while I suffer out here in a town that doesn't know me or what I have been through. I needed my friend. Now all I have are the rotten, broken, evil memories."_

Nanako felt the tears wet her face. The fact that the world could do the things that it has done to the people in her life. It almost killed her. It made Miwa's parents basically torture her for her failure to be them. Took two of Yuuta's parents from him. Took away Shima's future. Destroyed Shiho's innocence. The tears felt like ice as she began to get mad at a world so willing to be cruel to the people around her. She too took on a blue glow as she became motivated to work through her exhaustion and save Shiho. Nanako and Shima both approached the next door. The other students followed close behind.

Opening the new door they found themselves in the gymnasium. Pressed against a wall, they saw Shiho surrounded by volleyball nets and other equipment. Sitting on one of the ball carts was her Shadow.

"Shiho, we have guests," the shadow announced as she saw the teenagers arrived. "Don't be impolite they came all this way for us after all."

"Shiho, its me," Shima called out. This got her to look up at her saviors. Their uniforms accurately showing them all to be high school students.

"Sh-shi-shima?" she replied. Her voice was weak. It was clear that she had been crying from the hoarseness of her voice alone.

"Oh, Shima," the shadow began. "Why don't you ever talk to me about your past? Couldn't you stand me knowing? Didn't you want a relationship that was more than skin deep? Or is the skin the only thing you are interested in? Is that all you want? Just like anyone else."

"Don't you speak to him that way," Shiho said out loud.

The shadow turned away from the teens to look at her captive self. "Or what? What am I going to do? The fact of the matter is that your relationship is superficial at best. He doesn't want anything more than just the superficial why shouldn't we let him have it. He might just take it anyway! He's rough at times, we could see it happening."

"No!" Shiho cried out. "That isn't true! I have never thought about him."

Nanako called out, "Shiho please, it is fine if you do. We understand if you are slow to trusting. Just please don't beat yourself up over it!"

"Don't try to convince me that I am worth anything more than what I think I am," the shadow yelled still staring intently at Shiho. "You don't the real me. Because Shiho won't let you know that I am everything that she is, I am just willing to admit it!"

Shiho shook her head. "It isn't true. You are not me. You are not me at all!"

"I guess you are right, I am me now," the shadow responded. Darkness swirled in around it. The four teens took on a blue glow. The three underclassmen all summoned their Personas out like second nature at this point. Shima's card hovered in front of him for a moment. A royal crown wearing man donning a dark cloak over a suit of armor.

"Come on Iaputus!" Shima called out. " _Truly a loud young man aren't you? Or is that a triumphant battle cry? I wonder…"_

The mass of shadows finally formed a beautiful woman wearing a cloak of stars. The space she took up looked nebulous like a space itself. However, wrapped around her neck was a collar attached to a large jagged chain. The chain extended back up into a large muscular hand. The face of the woman was one of fear and pain.

"I am the Shadow. The true self. With the power of Asteria, I will enshroud all within the vacuum inside of me. None will be spared my pain!" The Shadow of Shiho cried out as the muscular hand pulled back the chain rearing her whole form back. The revealed the body of a scantily clad, voluptuous figure. Yuuta immediately blushed, but Shima's gaze was locked on the girl cowering behind the figure.

" _What had happened to this titan?"_ Iaputus asked as he looked on.

Themis gave a dry scoff. " _Humans truly are powerful aren't they?"_

The team of Persona -user gave a brief pause before Rhea took on a blue glow of her own and blessed their whole party with a protective aura. Shima let his Persona reach down and grab him by the collar. It then launched itself forward through the air towards the real Shiho. She would be in the line of fire, should any attack miss.

Nanako saw this and knew what to do. "Yuuta, Miwa, cover Shima and his Persona. Keep them from harm. He needs to get Shiho out of the area so we don't accidentally hurt her. I am going to try to distract the Shadow!" The two others nodded and they all made their moves. Hyperion dashed forward and absorbed an attempted swing with his shield. Rhea then cast a blast of ice to freeze the hand of the shadow to the ground. Themis flew up into the air swinging a hammer into the face of the shadow.

Shima had his Persona let go of him and Shima raised his legs up and slid into the pile of material between him and Shiho. His hands began moving as fast as he could get them to and starting to throw things out of his way. "Shiho stay calm! I am coming to get you!" He called to her. The Shadow reached back and scooped up Shima with a free hand. "No! Shiho, wait for me!" Hyperion dashed upwards to grab the titans arms trying to hold her still. Iaputus drew it hidden blade weapon and slashed the arm with a burning slash.

"Iaputus, get Shiho out of there!" Shima commanded. His Persona nodded and changed its trajectory towards to the girl. Hyperion continued to fight with the arm, but the Shadow was gaining ground and all the meanwhile, Shima felt himself be shook around and squeezed. Iaputus grabbed Shiho and began to carry her across the gymnasium, but he suddenly disappeared dropping her half way. The reason being revealed with Hyperion falling to the ground next to her and knocking down Yuuta. The shadow was free and with a full wind-up threw Shima across the room. He bounced off the far wall and his body fell to the ground.

Miwa got up her Persona to cover Yuuta as the Shadow prepared to give him the same treatment. Themis dropped from above and slammed the shadow in the back of the head pulling it forcefully against its chain. The Shadow choked on it collar.

"Yuuta, get your Persona to help me drag this thing down. We are going to choke her out until she calms down!" Nanako called out to Yuuta. Hyperion and Themis both began pull down on the Shadow's head. Miwa ran over to Shiho and finished helping her to her ran over next to Shima.

"C'mon Shima get up," Miwa called out. "We could really use your help. Her shadow is resisting really hard."

Shima stirred. "Oh my fuuuu-n plans are ruined…" he said trying to cover for himself again realizing his company. That was one of his worst. He sat up trying to get his bearings again.

"Shima… I am sorry," Shiho lamented. "I am so, so sorry. The truth is that I was afraid of you. Every day I would see your aggression and it would remind me of the life I left behind. Even when I saw glimpses of the person you truly were, I would ignore it. I never tried to reach out to you. I pushed you away whenever I felt you might have been reaching out to me. I am a terrible person. I truly am. My Shadow was right. But I want to make it better. I want to be better than who I am. Isn't that what I want?!"

The Shadow seemed to hear this and in a fit of rage ripped itself from the gripp of the two Personas holding onto it. The chain was suddenly released by the hand above. The shadow charged forward on unnaturally angled hands and legs towards Shiho. Shima's glow returned however and Iaputus returned to his side. It went forward and grabbed the chain himself and pulled back as hard it could choking the Shadow again. Themis and Hyperion flew up to help pulling the chain with him. The Shadow fell down as resistance proved painful again.

"Why? Why do you accept it now?" The Shadow Demanded.

"Because my actions don't just affect me. Affect us. When my harmful behaviors affect those around me, I have to acknowledge it. Or it is never going to get better. I do find myself hating Ann. I did push Shima, the one person trying to be my friend away, I will not let myself continue to hurt like this anymore. We have to work together on this. Please, let me help us."

The Shadow simply nodded and transformed back into the regular Shiho. "I guess we really did a number on ourselves didn't we?" it said out loud. The two Shiho's embraced and the Shadow disappeared. However the celebration of a job well done was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Isn't it just so great to know who you are?" the voice of Eiddet asked from the doorway. The whole group, exhausted from two days were of adventures and self-discovery looked at her wearily. There was something different about her demeanor. For one her head was off and underneath was the blonde wearing Nanako's jacket. However the bottom half of the suit seemed bigger, like it was stretching out to more comfortably fit the full stature of the girl beneath. "I told you, Shadows weren't meant to have reflections. I warned you from the beginning to stay away. Because I am learning what I am. And you are not going to like this." Suddenly her teeth seemed to become fangs as her stance widened and three large razor claws extended from each of her hands. Her nose seemed to become pointed as well and the suit she wore came to fit her better. She looked ferocious as she looked at the teens.

"Get out!"

The raging girl/monster charged forward and the teens all seemed to be unable to react. All except for Shima who stepped forward with his hidden blade, closed his eyes, and braced himself. The sounds of impact reverberated off the walls of the now near empty gymnasium, but Shima did not feel the hit. Nor did his Persona have the chance to absorb the attack for him. Opening his eyes, he saw a dark haired, massively built monster of a man wielding a metal chair was braced forward like an American Football player and was fighting for dominance against their attacker.

Nanako was stunned. Miwa and Yuuta surprised. Shima dumbfounded. Shiho half unconscious.

The man yelled as he suddenly lifted his attacker off the ground and threw her back at the door she came in from. "You mess with the bull, you get the horns!" he called triumphantly. A blue card with a symbol matching that of Shima's perfectly formed in front of him. "Persona!"


	8. Chapter 8: The Broken Ones

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Hullo! My apologies for the delay. Between being sick, being busy, and doing a bit of both... it has been a long month. So as I told you before, I had cut the previous chapter short due to the length and the reveal of more information. So here is the last of that situation and some additional stuff to set up the complete madness that is to come. Also doing some stuff with establishing some more characterizations for some of our party and the rocky relationships between two generations of Persona Users. Reviews welcome of course.**

* * *

For as monstrous in size he might have been, Kanji was good at tailing a target. He had been following the teens since the day Nanako had asked about her cousin. Kanji and Naoto had thought it was weird. A call from a clearly upset Yukiko had definitely put them on high alarm. The point of the plan was that eventually Yu would talk to Nanako and tell her everything. However, he hadn't wanted it to interrupt her high school studies. It was very likely that she would not believe him, but on the off chance that she did believe him it could be devastating to her. So, Nanako was suddenly asking questions that none of them were really ready to answer.

The first week it seemed that nothing happened and he was just about to let it go when back to back, both Chie and Yosuke got the verbal fourth degree from the high school girl. She was still asking question and now Kanji was on the case again. With his large arms generally not agreeing with sleeves Kanji wore a plain tank top and long brown pants. He caught up to her with her friends Yuuta-kun and Miwa-chan. There was some blonde upperclassman who gave Kanji the wrong kind of vibe. Specifically the vibe of someone who was exactly like what he had been as a teenager. So now Kanji knew he had to be right on their case. It was when they got to Junes that he started to get nostalgic. But they did not go to the food court. They were going to the…mirror aisle?

Then, Nanako reached out to a mirror and she led the others through it. Kanji's brain stopped for a moment. It was one thing to remember going into the TV, it was another thing to see Nanako leading a group of teens into another world. Kanji almost didn't want to follow them. But something gnawed at the back of his mind. He needed to know what they were up against. So he walked over to the mirror they entered. He looked at the mirror cautiously. As he got ready to go in, a woman and her child entered the aisle. He gave her a friendly smile and quick nod. She walked past with her child. Kanji sighed. If he waited around to much longer someone else would see him. So he slipped into the mirror carefully fitting his whole frame through the… well frame.

Ending up on the other side of the mirror immediately a name came to mind. "Mirror World," Kanji named out loud. He walked through the backwards Junes and tried to find the kids he was following. As he made his way out, he grabbed a metal chair. Stepping through a broken sliding door he caught sight of the kids off in the distance. He walked after them. There seemed to be no hurry for them.

After a while he got his bearings and Kanji realized that he was heading into the residential district. However, he was immediately caught off guard by the sight of a school. At the door, the group of high school kids entered the building leaving behind a bear suit.

"The hell is that? Looks like Teddie," Kanji asked himself out loud. As he got ready to approach, the bear suit began to get fidget-y. Kanji watched as it reached up and tore its own head off revealing a long blonde haired girl. "Somehow it looks even more like Teddie," Kanji remarked remembered the 'Miss' Yasogami High pageant. The girl in the bear suit finally made a decision casting the head aside and entered the school.

Kanji had no idea what was going on inside, so he decided to take a more careful route than the front door. After all, this was no Yasogami High School building. Kanji circled the building almost completely when he heard the sounds of combat through a partially open window. He moved a box over to get up to it and peering through it he saw the thing that confirmed everything that was happening here. Nanako and her friends were Persona-users now. Kanji however could see that everything was not going in their favor and he wanted to get in there and help. The window was stuck. So Kanji began to tug on it until finally with a burst of strength the window came open. Looking into the room now, the Shadow seemed to be defeated but now the girl in the bear suit was there. She looked pissed. Kanji started climbing over the lip of the window when she began transforming. He had landed on the ground when she yelled. He took off at breakneck speeds when she did. The bleach haired boy stepped forward to try to block her charge. While Kanji respected that, this girl was clearly a monster now, there was no way he was going to withstand the charge like that.

Kanji dipped his shoulder low and collided with the animalistic girl. Her bladed hand reached for him he picked her up and threw her. "Yah!" Kanji yelled triumphantly. Being in battle again honestly felt good. "You mess with the bull, you get the horns!" However the monster girl was clearly not done with him. So he decided to pull out the big guns. Kanji began to glow blue and the Emperor Arcana card floated in front of him. "Persona!" he called as he swung his metal chair through the card. A large swell of energy exploded out from him as his Persona formed. "Takeji Zaiten!"

The Persona summoned by Kanji was a sight to behold. Like him, it was a giant and it looked properly powerful. Like a giant white mecha in a cape, all of its individual pieces had flame decals. It reminded them of a samurai helmet with large metal fins fanning out from its had giant fists and possessed a massive sword that looked like flames.

"Big bro Kanji?" Nanako asked not really believing what she was seeing.

"Tatsumi-san?" Yuuta blurted out.

Kanji stood tall with his Persona at his side. "Stay behind me. The second we get an opening we are getting the hell outta here," Kanji commanded all business. For the teens watching him, it was like seeing a professional in action. "Look girl, I don't know who you are, I don't know why you look like Ted, but I am going to give you one chance to get out of my way."

Eiddet was too far gone. Whatever the primal instinct that had taken over was, it had a right hold on her. An opening formed in her back and what appeared to be a rocket like apparatus extended from it.

"What the hell?" Kanji declared at the sudden change. Flames jetted out the back of the rocket and Eiddet came flying forward. Takeji Zaiten charged forward clashed its fist with the rocket powered girl. Kanji immediately flinched for the effort he was having to exert just keeping this much force at bay. "This is the Man's Way!" Kanji called out as his Persona then swelled with energy. Sakura petals fell from the sky and a bright light shown. Eiddet was thrown back and seemed like she was really out of it. "Let's go!" Kanji yelled out. The group was halfway to the door when they found it blocked by a younger Kanji.

"Kanji? My have we grown," the younger Kanji said effeminately.

"'The hell you doin' here?" Kanji asked angrily. "Who the hell are you?"

"Why I am you, silly. Can't you tell?"

"You're not my Shadow, if that is what you are getting at. I have a Persona. Just like all these kids. I am going to take them with me so we can help the one whose having difficulty standing, she's never been around this kinda of stuff before so if you try something," Kanji replied aggressively.

The other Kanji laughed. "Actually the half unconscious one has interacted with Persona users before but she doesn't know the truth behind why... but I digress, of course I am not your Shadow. I am your Reflection. Everything you are cause mirrors reflect all," the fake Kanji remarked. The fake Kanji's skin seemed to start glistening like a metal.

Nanako realized what was happening. "Kanji! It is about to transform like she did," Nanako warned him. It was true, the Reflection had a red blade extend from its grip. Red flames extended from the Reflection's wrists up the forearm.

"Kanji, you must be at least somewhat interested in what I have to do with you, right?" Kanji's reflection asked. Before Kanji could respond, a shield wielding warrior suddenly dashed past him and slammed into the Reflection.

"Good job, Yuuta," Shima said to his underclassman. Helping Shiho, the group made their way out of the gymnasium. However, they knew they would not get far with Eiddet now chasing after them.

"Shima, brace me. I think I can get us out of here," Shiho told him quietly.

Shima placed his arm around her waist to help her stay standing as she took on a blue shine. "Nanako, buy Shiho time!" Shima called out.

Nanako nodded and Themis exploded out from her. Her hammer meeting the enraged Eiddet. Nanako fell to her knees holding her head. Miwa summoned Rhea who took on a green aura and Nanako felt herself become partially rejuvenated. Hyperion reappeared next to Yuuta and set his shield up in the hallway behind Themis as Kanji's reflection was also on his way down the hall.

Shiho suddenly cried out as her Persona finally made itself manifest. Cloaked and hooded, she looked like her shadow form but much more reserved. " _I am thou. And thou art I. I am Phoebe. My knowledge and wisdom will allow you to survive the injustices of this world."_

"Phoebe, Traesto," Shiho commanded. The group suddenly let off a large amount of light. Then reappeared back in the backwards Junes.

After they all took some time to recover, Shiho in particular, Kanji finally spoke out loud. "Well, this certainly is not the way we wanted this to go."

"Wanted what to go what way?" Yuuta asked.

Kanji paused for a moment. "To talk about the whole Persona thing," he finally answered. "Look, I can't give you all the answers you want right now. But let me make some calls, I will make sure that we can get together as much of the Investigation Team as possible, sit down, and have a nice long conversation about this soon."

"Not too soon, Shiho just got her Persona and she isn't doing too good," Shima added bracing the poor girl up.

Nanako looked at Kanji with a new perspective. She could understand where he was coming from. There was an entire group of peoples worth of stories that would probably need to be explained. However she had one question for him now. "Kanji, did all of you start hanging out because of your Personas?"

Kanji nodded then added, "I wish it was that simple but that does wrap it up as easily as it can be."

"Ok."

* * *

Days turned to weeks. The group of teens took turns checking on Shiho whose condition was slow to recover. Nanako and Shima was especially attentive to her. Nanako was particularly motherly in her time with Shiho. One part Ryotaro Dojima, one part Chisato Dojima, and two parts Yu Narukami. Shiho has been very quiet as she observed the underclassman. The first few days that these students had been showing up for her, Shiho's parents had been very observant. However after days of no incidents, they practically disappeared knowing that their daughter was with good people.

"How are you feeling today, senpai?" Nanako asked Shiho as she finally found a moment to sit down.

Shiho smiled softly and replied, "I am better than I have been. Still hurt basically all over though."

"You and me both," Nanako agreed.

"How do you have so much energy. Nanako-kun?"

"You can just call me Nanako," Nanako told her. "And to be honest, I just don't think I have time to not be doing anything. Genetics maybe?" The joke went over well with Shiho who hid a small laugh behind her hand.

"I wish I had your drive," Shiho admitted. "You even managed to wrangle someone like Shima into following your orders."

Nanako nodded. "To be fair, I think that had more to do with him facing off with himself and accepting his own faults. Otherwise, I trust him to do what is right when it needs to be done," Nanako replied.

"I've known him for a while now. How do you face up to his aggression and willfulness?" Shiho asked somewhat exacerbated.

Nanako thought back to her childhood for a moment to her original bleached hair, leather clad punk. "He isn't the first person like that I have had the honor of being friends with. Watching my Big Bro and his own version of a street punk definitely helped."

"You have a brother?" Shiho asked.

"Not actually," Nanako admitted. "He is my cousin. But he lived with me and my dad eight years ago. He very quickly became like a brother to me though. He is also kind of the reason that we were able to save you, in a long roundabout certain way. I guess he started leading his friends in their activities as Persona wielders. He was often stoic, but never wasted words. When he spoke you wanted to listen, y'know?"

"Sounds like a heck of a guy if he made you guys save me," Shiho replied jokingly. "So who are Miwa and Yuuta to you?"

"Classmates and friends. Miwa and I have known each other since Elementary. Yuuta joined us shortly after that, though he was always more of a tagalong than a lifelong friend. It was only a mutual desire to know more about my Big Bro that brought us this far," Nanako replied. "So, can I ask you about your friend? The one we saw in your old school?"

Shiho nodded. "You mean, Ann. Yes, It's the least I could do considering all that you have done for me. What did you want to know?"

Nanako, who had been stressing over how to ask this question all morning, settled to just ask Shiho simply, "Do you still keep in contact with her at all?"

"I try to," Shiho answered honestly. "But I can sometimes go months without hearing back. We'll text back and forth for a while and then she'll go quiet again."

Nanako thought for a moment and asked, "Have you thought about letting her know how those times without contact make you feel?"

"I have thought about it, but she does apologize for the delays so I never feel right telling her about it and…" Shiho trailed off.

Nanako finished her thought for her, "You don't say anything and just let it fester." Shiho nodded. "Can I ask you about your time before Inaba?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because Kanji's Reflection made an interesting comment about you earlier. About how you had been around Persona users before. Do you know what he could have been talking about?" Nanako asked her.

"Not really… except for one thing. Something I had been hearing about while I was in the hospital. It probably doesn't mean anything," Shiho thought out loud. Nanako gestured for her to keep going. "Well shortly before I had my… breakdown there was a boy who showed up at our school. To be honest, you description of your cousin made me think of him. It seemed like people just naturally gravitated to him despite the rumors that had been floating around. Anyway, around the time he showed up, he got very involved in the drama of our school, including with the teacher Kamoshida. Shortly before that bastard confessed to his crimes, there had been talk about a group who called themselves the 'Phantom Thieves of Hearts.'I don't know, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense in my head. If they were somehow related to Personas, I would not be surprised at this point." As she spoke, Nanako pulled out her phone and began to do a search online for their name.

"Oh my," Nanako whispered. "I don't know if people having been Phantom Thieves at all was a good thing"

"Perhaps not," Shiho commented. "I was somewhat aware of the things that they might have been involved in. But I just don't know if I can really say I disagree with their goals. Afterall, look what it did to the man who almost killed me."

Nanako could not really argue with that. "Did you spend a lot of time with this new boy?" Nanako asked.

Shiho shook her head. "No but…" Shiho's voice trailed off as Nanako's questions that started putting some pieces in place that she had not had them before. "Ann did. I mean she brought him with us when we went back to visit the place I had leapt from. They seemed really close. Could she have been a Phantom Thief? Therefore, a Persona user?"

Nanako shrugged. "I mean it could make some sense, but only under the circumstances that everything we perceived is real. However, I would say that the reflection identifying you specifically as having been involved with Persona users before does seem to point that direction."

The two decided to calm down discussion topics to other things. Nanako caught her up with the things the group knew about the her Big Bro, some of the more innocent things about the other people she had collected. Though she did seemed to beat herself up over accidentally talking about Shima's phantom pain. Nanako went home that night, and the following day Shima showed up.

It was his third day that week, but he really did not mind. It kept him out of the house and whenever she dozed off, it gave him a lot of time to think. However today she was awake and it seemed like she wanted to talk about something but could not find the words to express it. However now she seemed to be ready to talk.

"Shima, can I ask you something?" Shiho asked him hesitantly trying to take a page from Nanako's book. Shima simply hummed in response. "Are you mad about the things my shadow said? About the way I treated you?"

Shima shook his head. "I have to be honest with you. You weren't the only one pushing people away, y'know?" he told her. "I mean, I am not going to say that it didn't sting my pride a little, but I can't hold that against you. Not after the life you've lived."

"So you know about me then. What did your section of the mirror world look like?" Shiho asked curiously. Her head tilted slightly and her currently down hair only accentuated the movement.

Shima exhaled slowly. "My own little slice of hell was a hospital. While the inside was much more distorted, the outside perfectly resembled the hospital that removed my leg. It was damaged beyond repair and would just prove to be a hindrance to my life going forward. So my parents asked for it to be removed," Shima explained bitterly. He may be more open than before, still did not like talking about it.

"Are you hurting right now?" Shiho asked him. Clearly she was referencing the phantom pains. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow though and the two engaged in a impromptu battle of as she might, Shiho caved. "Nanako mentioned it to me during one of her visits."

Shima nodded. "Of course she would have," he commented idly. "Well to answer your question, it's not really about if I am in pain. It's more about if I am showing it. Grimacing is honestly just annoying and a waste of energy. It seems like every day it takes just a little more than it used to for me to show the pain on my face." He looked at a concerned Shiho and he gave her what could only be described as a gentle smirk. "You don't need to be worried about it. Like anything else, feeling pain for long enough means eventually I can just ignore it. It hurts, just less than it used to if you think about it like that."

The girl smiled at this information and then seemed to consider something. However, before she could form the words, Shima spoke again, "Look, I know you are trying to be delicate about your questions. Can I just suggest that you don't bother? Like you said, I learned about you. The least I can do is be an open book for you."

"Well, clearly losing your leg has defined your life since the accident. But if it were just a matter of you having an accident, I don't know if I would expect it to be such a big moment for you if it had not come with some other consequence. Right?" Shiho explained her inquiry in a roundabout way. Even though Shima gave her permission to stomp wherever she wanted, she still wanted to show some tact.

"Well it did come with a consequence," Shima explained clearly seeing where her question was headed. He scooted himself closer to her side and rested one arm on her western style bed. "I used to be a star athlete." Shiho gasped as the pieces seemed to fall in place. "A pretty daaa-ng good one too. Losing my leg took that from me, y'know? Since then, I have just been wandering and wasting time longing for something I can't go back to anymore."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Shiho commented and she reached out and took his hand. The two of them stayed like that for a moment. Then Shiho's finger grazed by something protruding from Shima's skin. Rotating his hand and leaning forward to look at it she fell silent as she saw scar near the topside of his wrist that seemed to slip down into his sleeve.

Shima, who had been very quiet since Shiho grabbed his hand, traced a line to where she was looking. He then said out loud, "Collateral damage from the accident. Let's just say that car accidents that can or will take your leg from you, usually don't come without other damage. My body is pretty much covered in those, more or less." This seemed to resonate with her and she used her other hand to trace down the scar where it met another. Doing so seemed to make her eyes water.

"I have scars too. Emotional ones that run deep within my mind. But, I don't see them like I can see yours. The evidence of what happened to you is literally written on your body. I-" Shiho started saying as a tear finally escaped.

Shima shushed her and wiped the tear away. "Emotional scars are no less damaging, Shiho. Don't you ever try to diminish your experiences because of the damage on someone else is plain to see. It takes a different kind of strength to be the only one who has to live with the scars that other cannot or will not see."

Shiho cried harder as a sob finally escaped her. "W-why are you so nice to me Shima?" she asked him through the tears.

Shima turned his hand until his fingers wrapped around hers. "Because I don't need someone in my life that looks at things as they could have been. I needed someone in my life to see things as they are here in reality and not judge me. You saw me the day we met and yet you never treated me like I was an amputee. You treated me like a normal human being," he told her as he comforted her. "I see your scars now Shiho. Of course I care about you that much more."

"And before you could see them?" she asked, looking at him like she was trying to see through him. The tears were not stopping.

Shima looked down, reached up with his other hand and held Shiho's hand between his. "You saved my life Shiho," he told her, barely above a whisper. "My shadow revealed to the others that I was ready to die. I had even planned on doing it myself. Then I met you. After that… I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Then we started talking more. I saw things in you that reminded me of myself. While I could tell something was hurt, I just didn't know how deep until I saw it for myself."

This confession of his desire for death left them in a stale, cold silence. "Shima," Shiho finally said to him. When he looked up, she flung herself forward wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you, Shima."

"You're welcome," he replied quietly as he wrapped his arms slowly around her. Her sobs the only sound that remained.

* * *

The group had gotten together for the first time since their mission to save Shiho, the following day. The Mirror World had been quiet for some time. They had been fairly quiet on their bus ride. It was decided that they would meet up at the Amagi Inn The group reconvened and they waited for a somber looking Kanji who approached them.

"Big bro Kanji?" Nanako asked out loud,

Kanji looked at the groups of teens in front of him. "Look, we're meeting in the Amagi Inn's meeting room, but I uh-" he trailed off and this caused all the students to tense. "Let's get going. I have something to tell you when we get there." The group headed off for the building led by the giant Kanji. Upon getting there, they were welcomed by the sight of Famous Songstress Rise Kujikawa, Police Officer Chie Satonaka, and Private Detective Naoto Shirogane.

"Big Sis Rise," Nanako said aloud. Rise walked forward and embraced Nanako. Her normally bubbly personality seemed to be in short supply today.

"Hey Nanako-chan," Rise said to her during their hug.

Miwa finally asked, "Look, can we get this freak show started? I don't have the best memories of this place, right now."

Shima and Shiho felt a little left out as to why, but Yuuta seemed to get what she was referring to. The Inn's Manager walked out the front door. "To be fair, that was not necessarily my fault. You could have told us what you were actually up to," Yukiko commented slightly bitterly.

Shima however was familiar with this topic and interjected, "Oh? And if they had been honest would you have still hid the Persona thing? Y'know she didn't have any reason to think that you guys were related to shit like this."

"Watch your mouth punk," Kanji growled. "Let's just take this inside, huh?"

The two groups headed into the Inn and to a meeting room. Shima gladly took a seat and Shiho joined him at the fairly large table. Yukiko took her place at the head of the table. Kanji remained standing while the others all quickly filed to their own spots at or around the table.

"So about the last time we were here," Yuuta started. "We were not aware of any supernatural happening yet. That happened before we went to the Textile Shop. Just saying."

"Look details aside for now," Nanako interrupted before anyone else could throw more fuel on the fire, "Kanji said you had something to tell us?"

Rise nodded and then after a short pause said, "Yu is missing. No one has been able to get ahold of him in three weeks. M-my fiance is missing." Rise burst out into tears.

Nanako and the high school students, suddenly at attention, all asked, "Missing?!"


	9. Chapter 9: Annd Justice For All

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Hullo! Thanks once again for all the support that I have gotten from this project. So as I responded to a previous person before I have come to terms with some things and ultimately need to make a clarification to them if they are still reading and an announcement to you all. The clarification I need to make is that I at one point had said to them that I was basing this Fic on P4/P4G and not really focusing on the sequels. I ultimately made the decision to include them as part of the canon for this Fic for a number of reasons. However, the main reason is that I am actually working on (on the side) a prequel story to this Fic about the P3 and P4 groups. Now I will probably not be posting any of that story until I am closer to being done with this one, but it is in the works and Kanji makes reference to it in vague terms in this chapter.**

 **Otherwise, I would also like to give a shout out to my newest reviewer** **Jayelwillow. Anywhoo, thanks for the support again. And enjoy this chapter named after an iconic album. Reviews welcome!  
**

* * *

The silence in the room after the announcement was deafening. Yu Narukami, best friend, soon to be husband, and local legend was missing. He was the source of so much focus and attention.

Finally Miwa spoke up and asked, "So we are all thinking that this tied to the Mirror World thing going on, right?"

"Yeah, pretty sure you are correct. Just when having Yu around would be perfect," Chie commented out loud. Nanako recalled the conversation she had with Chie weeks before. She had made comments like that before. Something was sitting in the back of her mind and Nanako was trying to think what it was she was supposed to be remembering.

Yukiko straightened up as she asked Kanji, "So what was it like in there Kanji? Do you think we can handle the situation?"

"Prolly," Kanji responded. "The entities that are calling themselves Reflections are strong. Really strong. One-on-one we would probably have some difficulty, but they seem to be not unlike anything we had faced before. I mean it seems to operate more like our TV World than it does the last time we dealt with this."

"Wait what do you mean last-" Shima started and he was cut off by Yukiko's response to Kanji.

"We'll have to find some time away from work," Yukiko responded somewhat frustrated.

Shima continued to try to interject, "Look, you guys-"

Chie answered, "It will be difficult for me to get time off with the active investigation but I-"

Shima, finally tired of being ignored stood up and yelled, "Hey! Don't you ignore me!" The four adults looked over at him, surprised by his outburst. "We're in this too. You aren't just going to bench us because you accidentally stumbled onto this."

Kanji straightened up and seemed to get bigger in the room. Shiho shrank in her chair as Kanji approached. Shima stepped away from his seat and put himself between Kanji and Shiho not missing her movement. A knock on the door broke the tension as a familiar pair of eyes entered the room.

"Yukiko-san? We have a Ms. Takamari in the lobby wanting to confirm a reservation here at the Inn? I cannot find the reservation," the big eyed boy from the first visit interrupted the group. Yukiko stood up and excused herself from the table. However, Kanji and Shima had not yet moved from their spots and Yukiko ended up having to head back around the table.

However in this delay, the customer in question got impatient, followed the yelling, and decided to follow through to the meeting room to take some initiative on the matter or her reservation. Blonde twintails bounced into the room as she called out, "Hello? I don't mean to be pushy here but I am in a little bit of a… hurry."

For Ann Takamari, the state of this room brought to mind two things. One, the girl at the table looked a lot like Shiho and two, a group of adults armed with a giant seemed to be intimidating High School Students. It seemed the world did not really change, no matter where you were. A flash of an evil man from her past twisted her mouth into a scowl as she stared at the dark haired giant.

"My apologies, Takamari-san. You've caught us at a slightly busy time. It is my understanding that you have a long term reservation? Do you remember what month you made it?" Yukiko offered.

"Uh, January," Ann replied finally pulling her gaze away from the man. "What's, uh, going on here?" She asked gesturing towards the situation.

Before Yukiko could answer, Yuuta quickly answered, "Nothing, we are just leaving. Miwa, Nanako, Shiho-senpai, and, uh, Shima-senpai? We should get out of their hair." The teens all looked at him. They realized that he was right, this meeting was not going well. Shima looked back at the giant Kanji and then clicked his cane on the ground once the others got up.

"He's right, we're done here," Shima confirmed to the giant man in front of him. As they rushed out of the room, Nanako and Shiho both recognized the woman with Yukiko.

"My apologies, it is a long story. About your room-?" Yukiko continued as the teens fell out of earshot.

The teens all made there way out to the bus stop. Miwa could not hold back her outburst any longer, "Called it. We so called it."

Shima looked over at her and asked, "Called what?"

Yuuta explained to him, "Before we saved you two we had debated talking to them. Nanako was pretty sure they were going to try to take over this if we did."

"As she put it at the time, this started as a search for truth, not a chance for more lies," Miwa added.

Nanako finally realized what it was she was trying to remember. "I don't think we were the only ones who thought about discovering the truth about what happened back then," she blurted out. The group looked ot her. "My dad. He was planning on calling my Big Bro when this case first started. I think my dad was suspecting that something beyond his understanding was happening. Also, while we are having revelations and remembering things, Shiho was that Ann?"

Shima, Miwa, and Yuuta all looked at her and did not seem to register who she was talking about. Shiho however replied, "That woman was Ann. My best friend at my old school."

"Oh." "Really?" "Shhhh-eesh."

Nanako simply shook her head and replied, "I thought so. It seems like are only going to get more complicated going forward." The group looked down the street when they heard a motor. However instead of a bus, it was a dark blue car that was approaching. It stopped out in front of the Inn and the back door opened. Stepping out of the car was a raven haired man in a nice looking polo shirt and business slacks. A simply duffle in hand. However most peculiarly was the black cat riding on his shoulder. He thanked his driver and as he passed he gave a friendly smile and wave to the high school students as he passed by. Shiho squeaked as she seemed to try to find her voice. Nanako looked back at her friend and upperclassman.

"Akira-kun," she finally said out loud. "Nanako, that was the guy I told you about. The one who I thought of when you described your Big Bro."

Nanako watched him as he walked away. The cat almost seemed to watch them and then lean into the man's ear. After that he turned and looked at the teens all watching him. "Can I help you all?" he asked out loud.

"Excuse me, Akira-san," Nanako said as she guided Shiho forward. "I think you two may know each other." Nanako needed to confirm what she thought she saw from this cat. So she kept her focus on it with her hearing while trying to keep looking at Akira.

Akira looked at the girls approaching him and his eyes widened when he realized that one of them was Shiho. "Shiho-chan? Oh my gosh, I haven't seen you in years, Um, uh, me and Ann were coming to visit you. She wanted to make up for some of the communication issues that you two had been having and she wanted to bring me along because, strange small town."

Shiho looked at him for a moment before answering, "You guys came to see me? Oh I, uh." The scene between the two was strange and the cat seemed to lean near Akira's ear again.

"...awkward," the cat whispered into his ear. Nanako gasped slightly hearing the cat's voice. Akira seemed to be stopped in his tracks at Nanako's reaction. Shiho also had noticed the words spoken by the cat on Akira's shoulder. She stepped back and slightly behind Nanako. The cat then tried to meow, but it sounded forced. It was like a human just saying the onomatopoeia.

"Morgana, they're not buying it. You're a Persona user… Shiho-chan you're a Persona user?" Akira said finally getting his head around the situation as he pointed to each of the girls as he pieced it together. The silence was palpable. It would be interrupted by the blonde from before.

"Akira! You made it… Shiho!" Ann ran forward and wrapped her arms around her friend lightly bumping Nanako and Akira on the way. Shiho lightly brought her arms up and hugged Ann back. Ann separated and looked over at Nanako and the other teens now making their way over to the conversation. "Are these friends?" She asked Shiho. Shiho was still a bit shocked by the turn of events and simply nodded.

"My name is Nanako Dojima. These are Yuuta Minami, Miwa Ito, and Shima Okazaki. And we have Persona's Ann-san," Nanako introduced them in kind and then decided to just drop a truth bomb on the newcomer. Afterall, she would find out from the cat or Akira anyway.

Ann looked at Shiho who just nodded again. She looked at Akira and then at the teens. "Personas? But, I've never heard of people without access to the Metaverse having Personas," she babbled.

"Metaverse?" Miwa asked. "When did we go sci-fi?"

"It isn't Sci-fi! It is reality!" Morgana screeched from Akira's shoulder. He winced and put his hand over his ear shielding it from the cat's voice.

Shima simply sighed as he turned back to go make sure the next bus did not leave them. He seemed to still be in a sour mood after what had happened inside. Meanwhile, Ann was still stuck on the fact that her friend was there in front of her. However, she could tell that something was wrong. "The Metaverse is a place where people's consciousness takes form," Ann told Miwa trying to translate Morgana's ravings to the new Persona users. "Jeez, could you quiet him down for just a couple moments, Akira?"

Akira simply took the cat off her shoulder and shoved him into a bag. "My apologies for my friend. Morgana is a bit of a pain sometimes. It is nice to meet you all though. Um, uh…" Akira tried to figure out how to proceed. "So, if you guys did not go to the Metaverse, then how did you get your Personas?" It seemed like a reasonable question.

Shiho finally spoke up and replied, "We went into something we call the Mirror World and um… face dark parts of ourselves. When we accepted them, we acquired our Personas."

Yuuta interjected, "Well that is the tame version. We have to fight 'em. They tried to kill us." Ann and Akira simultaneously looked over at Shiho and then remembered themselves.

"Like 'kill' as in…?" Ann asked drawing her finger across her neck.

Shima simply announced from the bus stop, "Exactly like that. Textbook definition." The whole group looked over at him. "Imagine every little thing that you despise about yourself turning into a goddamn monster out for your blood, because you had the gall to try to hide it from the world. Sure sounds like as much fun as a Metaverse, I'm sure."

"Shima? What's wrong?" Nanako asked him.

Shima just shook his head, "It's nothing, just getting real tired of waiting for the bus because our meeting with a bunch of assholes went immediately off the deep end." Shiho however saw the grimace that was trying to slip through his slightly angry looking expression. He was hurting.

Miwa turned her attention back to the two visitors to their town, "Yeah, I can't exactly say it was our best moment. We're not the first Persona-Users from around here."

Ann perked up to this knowledge recalling what she had just walked in on. "You mean those people are… just how many are there?" Ann asked Morgana who was trying to fight his way out of the bag.

"Well, Lady Ann, I can say honestly that I don't know," he replied upon emerging from the bag. "I am Morgana by the way. You could call me, Mona though."

"Mona?" Yuuta asked the cat.

Akira just chuckled. "It is an old nickname. We all had 'em," he told him as Morgana allowed himself to be scratched behind the ears by the curious Yuuta. Shiho separated from the group to go check on Shima. She had so much to say to Ann, but a small angry piece of her wanted to demand information from her about why she could not hold a conversation over the phone. No, that could wait.

"Are you ok, Shima?" Shiho asked him as she got to where he was standing. "I saw the pain on your face. What can I do to help?"

Shima looked at her and offered her a small smile, "There really isn't much to do, Shiho. But thanks for offering. Makes it a little easier to ignore. What about you? You gonna go talk to her about back then?"

Shiho shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," Shiho told him quietly. "I want to, but I also want to be angry at her."

"Eh, I'd say be angry for a little," Shima told her with a small scoff. "It's the only way she'll know that she hurt you, y'know?"

"C-could you be there when I do? I think having you and Nanako there will help," Shiho asked him. Shima simply nodded. "Thank you."

Another motor could be heard. Looking down the road, the next bus was on its way. Shima whistled out to the group. Nanako turned to Akira, Morgana, and Ann, with a polite bow she said, "It has been interesting meeting you, but we need to head back into town. However, if you find yourself in need, I can help you along your way."

"Thank you very much, Nanako-chan," Ann replied and made her way over to Shiho. "Shiho, I will meet up with you a little later. We need to catch up, yeah?" Shiho nodded.

Akira simply sighed as Morgana seemed to be getting uppity about something again. "It was nice meeting you as well Nanako-kun. I look forward to meeting you all again."

The High School students all filed onto the bus and as they rode away Shiho asked Nanako, "Nanako, would you be willing to help me with something? Shima is helping too, I just need some support with talking to Ann." Nanako nodded.

Yuuta looked over at her and asked, "Do you need me and Miwa to be there too Senpai?"

Shiho smiled lightly but shook her head. "I don't want her to think I am having us gang up on her. But thank you very much for your offer," she replied gratefully. The bus ride went uneventful. Yuuta and Miwa separated from the other three and began walking to the residential district.

"I can't believe we just got swept off to the side by Narukami's friends," Yuuta commented as the two of them walked.

Miwa was tempted to agree with him but something was nagging her. "You know I don't think they were doing it maliciously. I mean if you think about it, they went through something like this before and they didn't have any predecessors. They probably just went into some kind of serious business mode because that is all they knew from before. Especially if it is going to involve Nanako," she explained to him.

"I guess that makes sense," Yuuta commented. "But if you really think about it, they are also down a leader. I mean you heard the way that Satonaka-san talked about him. They needed him now like they probably needed him back then. I can't blame them though. We could probably use him here too."

"Hey Yuuta, can I ask you a serious question?" Miwa looked over at him.

"Uh, sure, I guess. What's up?"

"If Narukami-san led a group of Persona users, and we know that those three we met today at the Inn were part of a group of Persona users… well, do you think there are others out there like us? Likes ones that came before us and maybe even before Narukami-san?" Miwa asked.

Yuuta hummed in thought. "Well I guess it would make sense. Why?"

"Well I just got to thinking, that there has to be a reason that these things happen right? The existence of the Mirror World for instance. Our ability to freely move in and out of it. Our Personas?"

"I mean, yeah. But what can we do about that?" Yuuta asked as he continued walking. Miwa however slowed to standing.

"What if we tried to find out what happened back then? What's that saying? Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it? What if we could stop anyone else from ever having to take up fighting Shadows like us?" Miwa suggested.

This stopped Yuuta in his tracks. "Are you thinking what I am thinking?"

Miwa closed her eyes in thought and then mockingly guessed, "Miwa would sure look good without a shirt on?"

Yuuta blushed heavily as Miwa began to laugh. "Well now I am, but what I was thinking before that was looking up the Inaba Murders from way back. They may have some clues," he retorted. "Let's start looking into this tomorrow. Meet at library after school?"

Miwa, who finally had stopped giggling at her own joke, nodded.

* * *

Shortly after Yuuta and Miwa had left, Shiho got a text from Ann asking to meet her somewhere. Shiho asked her to meet up at the Samegawa Riverbank.

"Ok, so when she arrives," Nanako began explaining to Shima, "we need you to help separate Ann from Akira."

Shima nodded. "If you can get just a little fire started here Shiho, getting him away should not be any problem. Guys just don't wanna get involved in girl fights. Trust me on that one."

Shiho nodded. "Then Nanako could stay and be some kind of mediator," she suggested. Shima nodded in approval again. The three of them started heading to the Samegawa area to prepare for the meeting. The entire walk through, Shiho began having doubts. "I don't know if I should do this anymore."

Nanako looked at her and gave her a supportive smile. "You know, I generally don't like the idea of friends being mad at each other. But I do agree with Shima on this. Ann needs to know that she has hurt you. Friends need to be able to let each other see when they are hurting. But more importantly, friends need to know when something they are doing is hurting the other. Ann may not realize just how much you had been depending on her messages," Nanako reassured her as the three of them walked.

"You don't have to be angry for long if you don't want, Shiho," Shima added. "It doesn't need to be long term. But it does need to be communicated. Simply telling her isn't enough. She has to see it. The only thing that is really going to put it into a real life context. Seeing is believing and all that shiiii-. I mean craaaa-. I mean stuff."

Shiho nodded slightly more confident about the plan. They got to the Riverbank and there the three of them waited. Shima sat down on a nearby stump with his eyes closed. The two girls could tell he was holding back pained expressions but they remained silent. However, shortly after the two newcomers arrived. Shiho looked over at Shima who simply nodded as he stood up.

"Shiho, I am so glad to see you," Ann said going over and hugging her friend again. Shiho however this time did not return the hug. Ann stepped back with a concerned look as she definitely noticed this. "Shiho? What's wrong?"

"Ann," Shiho started. Inside she was desperately trying to grab onto that spark that had made her so mad at Ann. She finally found it and her expression hardened. "What has been keep you from just returning a text message more than a few times a month?" Her tone was scathing. Beyond what either Shima or Nanako were expecting and it caused Ann to visually shrink back from her friend. Akira looked like he wanted to say something, but a quick look from Shiho seemed to extinguish that need.

"Hey, uh, Akira. Maybe we should um…" Shima said gestured back towards the floodplain.

Akira looked at the situation and felt like he should stay but then Nanako stepped closer to him and with a gentle look told him, "I'll keep an eye on them. I think it might be best if you two stepped away. Girl time."

Shima and Akira both nodded, thankful for the opportunity to leave.

"Shiho, I-" Ann stuttered trying to say something.

Shiho looked at her and the spark she grabbed was further igniting. "So what happened Ann? You promised me you were going to stay in contact with me. You promised."

"I-I-"

"I needed someone, Ann. I have only recently been blessed with the friendships I have made. But I have been alone for almost two years since I moved. You apparently became a Phantom Thief and a Persona User and disappear for months at a time," Shiho continued.

Ann was surprised at Shiho's mention of the Phantom Thieves. But she could not necessarily deny anything. "I can't say anything that can excuse it. But I will explain it. About the Phantom Thieves thing, I certainly did get involved in that. We were the ones who punished Kamoshida. But I couldn't do it before that monster had done his damage. It was a full time gig. The only time off I really had, you were in recovery. Then after you left, you always seemed so sad when you talked with me. I thought, maybe, that being in contact with me just reminded you of your past. I thought I was hurting you. I don't know, I just got it so far in my head that all I could be doing was hurting you, I thought if I could leave you be for a while it could get easier for you. I see now that I was wrong, but… I am so sorry Shiho."

Shiho felt the flame in her mind become extinguished. To be honest, she could completely understand where Ann was coming from. Afterall, had she not tried to avoid becoming too close to Shima for exactly that reason. "Ann, I am sorry I snapped at you. I just have been so angry when I think about you that it just boiled over," Shiho said quickly as she felt herself start to become upset, mostly at herself.

Ann stepped forward and embraced her friend again, "Shiho, let's start over. Clean the slate. Now that I know this, I don't want to let myself fall out of touch with you." Shiho returned the hug this time. Nanako simply sighed with relief that they were communicating like this. Meanwhile, Shima led Akira to a nearby gazebo. The two remained mostly silent until they got there and Shima sat down immediately with a grunt.

"You ok, uh, Shima-kun was it?" Akira asked him.

Shima just nodded. "It hurts from time to time. Don't bring it up the girls when their done, I don't want them to worry about it," Shima replied. Akira nodded. "So, can I ask you a question about them?"

"I may not be the best person to ask, but I'll try," Akira replied.

"The asshole, uh, Kamoshida. Did he ever actually acknowledge what he did those two specifically?" Shima asked him.

Akira gave a light scoff. "Not exactly. However, it was implied as part of his confession. Not exactly ideal, but that was the only way we would do anything about it," Akira explained.

"When you say 'we' then I assume you are referring to your group of Persona using vigilantes?" Shima asked with a hint of a joking tone.

Akira did get a chuckle out of this. "More accurate than you would think," Akira replied. "Have you ever heard of the Phantom Thieves?"

Shima nodded. "I found out about you guys shortly after Shiho and I met. I had suspicions about where she had come from, but I never wanted to ask her about it. You guys were very busy weren't you?"

"To put it lightly. So what is happening around here that is causing two generations of Persona-users to meet?" Akira asked.

Shima just sighed remembering the meeting from earlier, "Well most simply put, we don't rightly know. But we have a Mirror World here and it started sucking people into it and they were winding up dead. Nanako started going into the Mirror World to save us. Those people just stumbled onto it recently and seem to have the intention of uh, taking over this investigation."

"I see, seems adults still don't take teens seriously, huh?" Akira commented idly. "Question about you and Shiho if you don't mind?"

Shima nodded. "Only fair."

"She stepped away from a conversation with Ann earlier to check on you. You two an item?" Akira asked. Shima at first thought maybe he was trying to press a button for a reaction, however the look in his eyes reminded him of Nanako. He was genuinely interested.

Shima was quiet for a moment. "Well to be honest, I don't really think either of us is really in a position to be ready for that. But over the last year or so, we have been talking a lot and kinda being outcasts together. But no, not an item," he finally replied. Akira simply nodded understandingly. "Y'know you seem to be the leadership-type. Do all of you Persona leaders come across the same way? Because you and Nanako are really, really alike."

Akira simply sat down next to Shima as he considered his words carefully. "Well you know about Arcana right? The basic classification of our Personas fall under them. If I had to wager a guess, I would probably assume that you are of the Emperor Arcana. Am I right?"

Shima, legitimately impressed, replied, "Yeah. How did you know?"

"Well the Emperor in fortune telling is generally characterized by a need to control one's surrounding and when it appears it can often show that one is trying too hard to do it. As it pertains to Persona Users and people in general however, I have observed that those classified as Emperor are troubled by something very personal, and don't know how to deal with it."

"Holy shit…" Shima said. "You just tore me open and read pieces there now didntja? How about you and Nanako then?"

"Fool Arcana. Though, something makes me think that she only recently became more like me. In fortune telling it was a symbol of innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos and creativity. Seems like a lot, but I think the best way to describe it is like being a canvas to be filled in. Which people like us find that the most paint and color we get in life comes from the bonds we make with others," Akira explained.

"And if you had to guess what Nanako was before she was a Fool Arcana?"

"If I had to guess, probably Justice though I do feel some of Hierophant in her. Though I assume she was a close relationship with her parents which would probably explain why it feels like her metaphorical canvas is partially filled in," Akira suggested. "Sorry about all the canvas talk, my roommate is a painter so it is basically on the brain all the time. Possibly even literally if I had to guess." The two of them had a good laugh.

The two them felt the conversation die down and were glad to hear the sound of the three girls approaching them. "How did it go?" Shima asked Nanako.


	10. Chapter 10: Leave Out All The Rest

**Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry about the delay in this chapter. I don't want you to think that this in anyway excuses my tardiness, I would at least like to explain where I have been and why I have been sleeping on the updates for this. I use the term 'sleeping' pretty much literally because I have been super tired recently. Tired of life, tired of depression, tired of working. To make matters worse, I have recently been "suffering" from creative ADHD. I often have times where my brain wants to think about a lot of potential new things. Stuff like the prequel series to this that I mentioned last chapter comes to mind as well a lot of original work and other potential FanFiction ideas for the future.**

 **All in all: I do not want you to think that I am leaving this project behind. I am back on track and busted out a lot of this chapter over the last week trying to get it ready for all of you as well as set me up for the next major event.**

 **Also, to generally respond to the dual inquires about healing and Shima's leg as to hopefully circumvent topic going forward.** **I was always of the mind that having a Persona sorta shielded you from danger for the most part. Between the fact that they give you resistances and weaknesses, they have moves that require either gauge and having none of either means you can't manifest their physical form, and even in P3 they did not stop your or heal your exhaustion or sickness even with status removal abilities. Ultimately leading to the idea in my mind that the healing spells were actually just replenishing your stamina to extend your use of them in one way by exchanging magic power for physical. Kinda seems like Akihiko in the beginning of P3, Shinjiro in the middle of P3, or any of the Persona-users from P4 that you rescue from the TV World could just have a heal put on them and be good as new.  
**

* * *

The following day Miwa and Yuuta met at the library as agreed. The two of them had decided over text that they had two pronged plan for attack. First prong was to look at Inaba. The second was to identify other Persona related events in Japan if possible. The two of them were not sure about what they would find, but they had to find something. Events don't just repeat without some form of rhyme or reason.

"So how do we do this?" Miwa asks uncertainly looking at her computer screen.

Yuuta grabbed a sheet of paper and wrote down some words for Miwa, "Search for phrases like these. Inaba, serial killer, missing people, etc. Try to find articles, blogs, whatever might have been covering the events. I will try to see if I can locate any other instances of events that seem related." Miwa gave him a confident nod and the two of them got to work.

It would be about half an hour before Miwa would interrupt the silence. "So this seems interesting. Yuuta look at this. All of the people at the meeting yesterday except for Satonaka-san had been reported missing back then," Miwa said pointing out the information she had copied down.

"Was there anyone else?" Yuuta asked.

Miwa replied, "Yes. There were two people reported before Amagi-san. But they were the victims who started the serial murder investigation. Other than that, it was Shirogane-san. No more disappearances occured, or at least none that were reported."

Yuuta looked at her notes with a look of contemplation. "It seems strange. They just started and ended all of the sudden. How is that even possible?" he asked out loud. "Was there anything else that seemed odd about back then?"

Miwa sighed, "Not that I can tell. I mean apparently it was a particularly foggy year and people thought that maybe the fog was carrying sickness. People were getting a little crazy or a little like emotionless zombie from what I can tell. There was very little in between."

"Emotionless?" Yuuta asked. He then typed in a quick search and then pulled up a link that had been previously clicked. "Apathy Syndrome. I think that is what people were calling this strange sickness that seemed to be floating around Japan back then. It was characterized by a lack of emotion from people who had it and then they would eventually just stop functioning. Stop eating, drinking, sleeping and would do that basically until they would die. Unless they recovered or had some kind of medical intervention."

"Apathy Syndrome?"

Yuuta nodded and added, "Guess where the only other known cases of it occured." Miwa shrugged. "There were several non-fatal cases at the LMB Festival back in 2012 and a large number at a place called Tatsumi Port Island in 2009. Narukami-san and the group must have solved the case during the LMB Festival. After all, they were performing there for the Risette comeback special."

"Yup and here is a video of it," Miwa said with a grin. The group all looked so young on stage. They helped perform the song Calystegia and then they helped Rise perform a few different songs. Many of them came up and helped her all separately and then there was one big performance where they all danced together. "It is kinda interesting. It felt like a lot of these performance primarily featured her friend and she joined in. Did you notice that?"

"Nice catch," Yuuta commented impressed. "A-anyway let's get back to researching, yeah?" The two continued looking into different matters when they discovered another matter entirely. "Hey, have you seen this Shibuya case before?"

"No, I haven't and Nanako never mentioned this one. Well that seems obvious now if you look at the date, it happened after the LMB Festival. So who solved this one?" Miwa asked. The two of them looked at the article quietly. "It is weird, all there is mentions of here is the fountain mysteriously catching fire which is believed to have been caused by some kind of petroleum leak. Strange."

Yuuta jotted down the information and unlined the things that seemed important. "So we have two cases that Narukami-san's group were uninvolved with from 2009 and 2012. And of course the Persona Group from just two years ago at Shiho's old school. Now our event here has got to be somehow related to all these other instances right? Argh, this doesn't make any sense. There has to be something that Narukami-san's group knows that we don't and they have made their desire to not share fairly obvious at this point."

Miwa seemed entirely too interested in an article that she was looking into and when Yuuta looked at it more closely, it was an obituary from 2010. It was a photo of a young boy around their age with dark blue hair swept over one eye and a red armband. It was cropped down to just him but it appeared that others may have been in the picture before. "Minato Arisato, a 2nd year at Gekkoukan High School, was pronounced dead on March 5th from severe exhaustion."

"Wait, what?" Yuuta asked reading what she just read aloud. "That doesn't make sense. Teenagers don't just die from exhaustion. If there is anything that TV has taught me, it's just a fancy way of saying they don't know what caused it. Why are you looking at an old obituary anyway?'

"Because he went to the school in the city where the 2009 issue occurred. Tatsumi Port Island. Just a months before his passing there was a cult that called themselves Cult of Nyx. That sounds like Persona related activity to me," Miwa said confidently.

Yuuta had to admit that her logic was sound. "But there is just one problem. We gave all this information here and still no answers as to what it has to do with us. Or what is causing it."

They suddenly heard someone behind them say, "I can tell you that." Miwa and Yuuta both jumped as they turned and saw Nanako there who appeared to be carrying a few books. "I came here to study. I have to keep my grades up but I couldn't help but notice two familiar faces come in here. You guys have been busy." Nanako giggled at their shocked faces.

"What do you mean that you can tell us about what it has to do with us?" Yuuta asked.

Nanako set her books down on the shelf where she got them and pulled up a chair to sit next to her two classmates. "Well, unlike you two I pay attention in class. The day we went to save Shima-senpai we had a lesson on greek mythology. Type in 'Nyx Greek Mythology' and try to follow along. Nyx is the Primordial Goddess of the Night. She mothered Hypnos and Thanatos with Erebus. The Primordials of Sleep, Death, and Darkness respectively. The reason these have something to do with us, is because our Persona's are all Titans who were the entities that took over from the Primordials before the Greek Gods overthrew them."

"Wait, like they are really those titans?" Yuuta exclaimed.

Nanako nodded. "Mine is Themis the Titaness of divine law and order. Then you have Hyperion the Titan of light. Miwa's is Rhea the Titaness of- wait I got this," Nanako said pulling a sheet out from her bag. "Rhea the Titaness of fertility, motherhood and the uh... mountain wilds, I guess. Shima's is Iapetus the Titan of mortality. Finally Shiho has Phoebe the Titaness of 'bright' intellect and prophecy. Basically an oracle from what I can tell. They were among the Twelve Titans who replaced the Primordial Gods who came before them. Gods like Nyx."

"You are not seriously suggesting that there are Gods on earth are you?" Miwa asked skeptically.

Nanako scoffed and sarcastically responded, "No, I am suggesting that our ability to enter the Mirror and summon Titans to do battle is where I draw the line on what is possible. But do you honestly think that it is a coincidence that these people started worshipping the Primordial entity who gave birth to the symptoms of Apathy Syndrome? You know, the condition that caused people to effectively shut down into a sleep like status and die. Not only that, you just got done reading the obituary for a boy who literally did the exact same thing. Like I am not saying that it is Gods, but I am leaving nothing off the table until we know for certain."

Nanako felt her phone buzz and pulled it from her pocket. As she checked the message she received, Miwa and Yuuta thought quietly about what Nanako had just said.

"Huh, I just received a text from Takeyoshi-kun," Nanako commented idly.

Miwa's face seemed to land somewhere between concerned and indifferent, "Really? What is up?"

"He seems to be lonely. He is asking me to bring him a particular newspaper. From Okina," Nanako replied looking at her phone further.

"How long has it been?" Miwa asked. "You know since the last time he came to school?"

"Over a year now, he's never asked for something like this before," Nanako answered with a sad sigh. "His parents' divorce really messed up his perception of reality."

Miwa suddenly replied, "This isn't the first time you've done this. Remember when we were in first grade when I was crushing on him. We took him the public notice." Nanako however did not hear what she said next.

* * *

"Big Bro? Have you seen the public notice?" Nanako called through her cousin's door. When she was invited in she was surprised to see his friend Yosuke was there.

Nanako's Big Bro looked down at her and asked, "What are you looking for again?"

"The public notice. Takeyoshi-kun was wanting to see it cause it looks like his family did not receive theirs. Miwa-chan and Yo-chan are coming with me, but mostly because Miwa-chan likes him."

Yosuke was shocked by the comment. "Really? First graders are really advanced. Then again, I had my first love then, but I always felt ahead of the game you know?" he joked towards the end. He then seemed to darken and continued, "But right now I don't have any time for that. There is something I have to do first."

"Homework?" Nanako asked curiously. Yosuke cracked a smirk at the comment and nodded.

"Pretty much, exactly that Nanako. You are a real sharp one," he complimented her genuinely. Nanako felt really warm inside as both her Big Bro and his friend smiled at her. She said good-bye and left. A buzzing in her hand ripped the memory out from under her.

* * *

"Nanako? You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," Yuuta asked her with a very clear look of concern on his face. Miwa too looked like she was worried. Nanako had completely spaced out in the moment again.

"I-I-I'm fine. I am going to go get this paper for Takeyoshi," Nanako replied monotonously as she began to make her way for the door.

Miwa and Yuuta watched her go. Yuuta didn't look away until he heard Miwa sniff back tears. "Miwa? What's wrong?"

"I hate it when she looks like that. I can tell that she is going somewhere inside her head but whenever she is there she looks upset and lost. Then almost every time she comes back I can tell she is shaken by something. She has never told me about what is happening in her head when she does that," Miwa commented sadly as tears started to come up. Yuuta felt useless in this situation. So he turned off their computers and fetched some tissues for her. He then led her out of the library.

"Look, Nanako has been there for a long time. When she is ready to open up to us, she will. Eventually, she is going to learn to lean on others," Yuuta told Miwa knowingly. Miwa looked at him with a question on her lips but no desire to ask it. "You want to know how I know? Because she once depended on her Big Bro. Eventually he knew how to be strong by leaning on the people in his life after he taught others to do the same. She'll be like him, I know it."

The trip to and from Okina City was uneventful as Nanako went and collected the paper for her friend. She was finally starting to feel normal and then she arrived at his house. Takeyoshi's house was exactly as Nanako remembered it at first sans one car in the driveway. Nanako had gone to his house on a few occasions as Miwa had dragged her along as an excuse to see her crush. However the longer Nanako stood there, the more the little details started to come to her and she suddenly felt out of place. Like her whole world had been shifted 1 inch to the left without her knowing. The first difference she noted was the blackout curtains on Takeyoshi's window. They used to be airy and white like the others which were now beginning to look a bit more off yellow than anything else. The gardening looked half done as one half the yard was weeded and cared for while the other remained unruly. The pavement in front of the house seemed to have cracked a while ago. Nanako had never seen the place look like this.

She carefully approached the door feeling like the slightest misstep would break the walkway she stood upon. When she got to the door she knocked lightly. After a moment of silence she reached out to knock when the door opened.

"Nanako-chan, you made it," a vaguely familiar voice said from the other side of Nanako's raised hand. As Nanako lowered her hand she saw him. Takeyoshi had always had strong features but they were particularly pronounced. She also saw that he shot up in height increasing the ever growing gap between the two of them. His hair was still short though a little unruly like he had yet to comb it that day and it had been awhile since his last cut. However, knowing what he had gone through and what it did to him, the fact that he hadn't gone completely primal was a miracle. But his features were far too pronounced.

Nanako recovered her sense of self and replied, "I got the paper that you asked for Takeyoshi-kun." Her response was strangely robotic and distant, especially for her.

Takeyoshi looked down at the paper in her hand he slowly reached for it. A small pull and Nanako released her grip on it. "Thank you. Did you, uh, want to come in? Have something to drink?" he offered with a smile trying to ignore her tone.

"Takeyoshi, can we not pretend that this conversation we are having is anything normal?" Nanako asked with a sigh. "I mean you are already closing the door." Nanako gestured to his hand slowly pulling the door closed.

"Well, what do you know?" Takeyoshi commented as he took his away from the door and stepped forward and out of his house. "Sorry about that, force of habit. How has school been?"

Nanako eased her posture a bit. "It is going alright. Miwa-chan and I are in the same class, I became class president."

This made Takeyoshi smile. "If anyone was going to get it it was you."

Nanako frowned at him and replied a bit more firmly, "Look, I know you are smarter than me, but don't lie to me. We both know this wouldn't be the case if you were still going. So when do you plan on coming back?"

Takeyoshi also frowned as he replied, "No plans yet. Why do you always have to bring that up?"

Nanako became legitimately fumed at this remark. "Is there something wrong with me for worrying that one of my close friends is throwing their future away? Why are you so ok with it?"

Takeyoshi's face darkened. He looked at the ground beneath him as he thought. Nanako was about to turn and leave when he finally spoke. His voice was firm. Nanako understood immediately, this was not a confession, just a statement of the truth for him. "I can't do it. I can't just turn my brain off long enough to do the things I need to do. Leaving my house has become more and more difficult. A common side effect of my condition. Periculophobia is the Latin for it but in layman's terms it is the fear of taking risks. They do not have an actual name for it but they improperly diagnosed me with agoraphobia. Clearly, I can leave my house and the open space is not the part that bugs me. I don't think aliens are coming after me or that there is a sniper in the trees as part of some conspiracy out to get me. I am not crazy. But I can't walk out there knowing that 3% of the population of Japan could die in a vehicle related accident as of just a couple years ago. Did you know that one of the students who goes to our school now was almost one of them? Or the chance of me being killed, while about one-tenth the size is additive to my chances of being hit by a car. How am I supposed to focus on anything?"

"Yes, Takeyoshi. I do know that Shima-senpaI goes to our school now. I do know that he was involved in a major accident. But guess what? He is still going. Despite the fact that he has a prosthetic now. Where does that leave you? Maybe you are afraid of taking risks, but your definition of risk is disproportionate from reality!" Nanako countered back fiercely. Talking with Takeyoshi always brought out her 1000 Yen words even when she was mad with him. "This isn't healthy, Takeyoshi! You are so skinny. What do your statistics say on the chances of survival from starvation?"

Takeyoshi looked away for a moment and finally responded, "Do your realize how dangerous stoves and ovens are?"

Nanako raised her hand to him and showed over the left over burn mark from a particularly bad burn she got learning to cook to impress her Big Bro. "I am! i have seen it first hand Takeyoshi. Yet I still learned to cook. And you know what? With time and experience, the near catastrophes and close calls went away. Learning a skill mitigates risk, that is the entire point of learning the skill in first place."

"Well it isn't like I didn't try Nanako. But not all of us can be like you. Not all of us got to have that 'Big Bro' experience. Big Bro this, Big Bro that. Did you ever think that maybe people wanted to hear about you and not him? You pretend to be brave, but I have to wonder how much of that is you and how much of that is him."

Nanako got angrier at this. "Don't you talk about me like I am not here in front of you confronting you about this, Hada-kun. Don't you dare try to make it out like I have not been the most patient and kind person to you during your parents divorce. You gave up on us! Not the other way around!" Nanako was shouting by the end and could not take this conversation anymore. She turned on her heel and made her way to the street.

"Nanako-chan wait," Takeyoshi called out to her as he tried to follow her to the street but he stopped short of reaching her. Nanako looked at him and simply shook her head and kept walking. Takeyoshi stood there with hands clenched as he tried so hard to move forward that next step. "Damn it." He turned back towards his house and walked back into it.

Nanako made her way down the street and it was not until she was out of sight that she felt the tears sting her eyes. As she walked she saw Ann and Shiho outside of the Suzui family residence. Nanako tried to wipe away the tears but they would not stop coming and soon she knew she was found out.

"Nanako-chan?" Shiho said out loud seeing her underclassman crying in the street. Shiho rushed over to her, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Nanako between sobs and sniffles asked Shiho, "D-d-do you think- that I am only as w-w-worth as much as my Big Bro's time with m-me?"

Shiho could not believe the question that she heard. Nanako Dojima, the girl who led a group of teeneagers into a hellish world to save a perfect stranger, was crying her eyes out wondering what value that she had? Shiho's heart broke for her underclassman and she wrapped her own thin arms around her. "Come inside, Nanako-chan. Let's talk in my room," Shiho said trying to soothe her. Ann got the door for them as Shiho led Nanako upstairs to her room. As they passed, Shiho passed Ann her phone and gestured for her to call the group. When Shinho finally got Nanako up there, she helped Nanako to the chair that had been a staple all the times people visited and then sat on her bed across from the crying underclassman.

Shiho stayed quiet for a moment hoping the rest of the group would show up soon. While she knew they could not just sit in silence there forever she carefully considered her words. "Why would you think that way, Nanako? What brought this up?"

Nanako struggled to compose herself in her chair as she tried to answer, "I just had the realization that my relationship with my Big Bro might be the only reason I've done anything since I met him. What does that mean for me?"

"What is so wrong with that?" Shiho asked curiously. Nanako looked at Shiho curiously tears still streaming down her face. "Do you think your Big Bro got that way on his own? Do you think I would be here like this now if it were not for you and the others? What is wrong with that?"

Nanako could not quite stop the tears yet. "But how am I supposed to be a good leader for us if all I am is the bond I had with my Big Bro?"

Shiho started stumbling over her own thoughts. But luckily for her, a knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. Opening the door, Miwa walked in and then rushed over to Nanako. "Nanako! What happened?"

Miwa was followed by Yuuta. After a few moments and some muffled cursing, Shima found himself up in the room. Shiho was suddenly very aware of how little room there was in here. Nanako explained what happened when she delivered the newspaper to Takeyoshi. Shima seemed to fume but he kept his cool while she finished. Nanako had finally started to calm down by the time she was done. However she had more things she needed to tell them.

"So there is something I need to tell you all. About when I was younger and Big Bro was living here. Something I have been very hesitant about sharing with you because I haven't really been sure how to talk about it yet, " Nanako started.

Yuuta guessed out loud, "Does it have anything to do with why you have been spacing out lately?" Nanako nodded.

"Well, while I really want to kick the shit out of this Takeyoshi, kid…" Shima started he looked at Nanako earnestly, "I am all ears."

Nanako took a steadying breath. "As Miwa may remember, there was a period of time when I was in first grade when I got really sick. So did my dad after he got in a car accident. Well what you would not know is that I went missing for a little while. Big Bro and his friends were Persona-Users who had to save themselves and other people from this place they ended up naming the TV World. This was where I was back then. I had been kidnapped by the senator from back then Taro Namatame. I only remember bits and pieces of it, but I remember being really scared. Then I remember being at the hospital and… dying." Nanako hesitated and the room became very tense. "For a while now. I have been having vivid flashbacks to those days. Remembering things about him and the things I had gone through. I still remember the moment I died. I don't remember so much from when I came back to life. But these memories have been scaring me. It is almost like I am going back and reliving it. They scare me to no end and I can't make them stop. So when Takeyoshi challenged me about my existence and how much of who I am is really me, I realized just how much Big Bro's presence in my life defined who I am now."

Miwa was the first one to speak after Nanako's story and she spoke confidently, "Y'know you are still Nanako to me. Before and after you were Nanako to me. So you seemed a little happier than normal. A little braver than before. There is nothing wrong with that."

Shima nodded and added, "Akira told me something the other day. That leaders like him and you were like a canvas waiting to be painted in by the people around you. Why would you becoming stronger and fuller from the people in your life ever be a bad thing?"

Yuuta jumped to his feet, "Yeah even the heroes in the shows like Featherman work together."

Shiho smiled genuinely, "Of course. Why would we ever think less of you for feeling stronger for the reasons you made us feel stronger?"

Nanako looked at the people around her who continued to see all the positives in her that were being buried by the doubts. But their encouragement did help her realize that maybe the greatest gift that she had was that her Big Bro gave her the foundation she had now. With a happy look on her face, her doubts began to fade from her mind and she leapt up to hug her friends. Shima was able to manage to get out of the way in time but the other three all joined in wholeheartedly.

Nanako would not let herself feel this much pain the next she butted heads with Takeyoshi. He found a way under her skin this time. But next time, she was going to make a point. Though the sound of sirens could not escape her ear. She just hoped that it was not for the reasons they normally heard sirens nowadays.


	11. Chapter 11: Now is Gold

**Author's Note: So 1 month ain't bad considering I am getting back in the swing of things. It took me a little longer than I was expecting do to having to create a lot of Takeyoshi from scratch. I don't know how many of you actually remember that scene in Yosuke's social link but it was a lucky find for more party members. Anyway, I have decided that going forward I want to do some additional fun stuff up here. So today, I want to reveal the "theme music" I have been using for inspiration in my writings. I will reveal them two at a time.**

 **The first is Shiho Suzui and the song that ultimately inspired me to include her in this story. That song is "In Front of Me" by Infected Mushroom. This song was actually my introduction to the group who also wrote the song that this chapter was named after. It is a pretty dark song about never having a way forward.**

 **The second one is the song I have been using as my primary inspiration for Nanako Dojima. This is probably going to feel like a strange song choice but I have been listening to "It's Raining Somewhere Else" by Toby Fox. The simplistic nature of the melody helps me keep her Fool Arcana characteristics in check while the layers help me remember that she is a full character and not just another protagonist.**

 **~Noxmad**

* * *

There was an uncharacteristically large amount of energy at the school just four days later. After that, it did not take long for the group to find out. Popular former student and resident shut-in Takeyoshi Hada was reported missing and his bathroom mirror was found broken alongside some picture frames in the hall immediately outside the bathroom.

"He finally went off the deep end?""He's probably just trying to get attention.""There is no way this is normal, Hada would have never done something like that.""Maybe he got taken by the Mirror Game?""Yeah, who would ever be soulmates with a total shut in like him?""I hope he is ok…"

Nanako had a hard time holding her tongue. The two of them may not be as close as they once had been, but he was still her friend and all these people talking about him like he was dead annoyed her greatly. However, the biggest thing that unnerved her was that she was only now finding out about this one. Previously, she had been lucky enough to find out through circumstance from her father or Big Sis Chie. After what happened with the adults, she was pretty sure that this was no accident. If they were going to keep up with this, they were going to have to find a new way to get information. Four days was too much time to waste knowing that it was only a week before the first two people who were drawn into the mirror world died.

During lunch, Nanako sent out a group text asking everyone to meet on the roof. It was only about 5 minutes for everyone to be brought together. The third years being the closest to the roof beating the underclassmen there by a large margin. Shima stood with his gaze staring down at the ground below. Shiho sat down in a place that group not unlike their own had sat, to discuss things not unlike events that had occured years ago. The three first years showed up in silence.

"So, seems like things are going to get more difficult from here," Miwa finally commented. "Does this situation get any worse?"

Nanako commented glumly, "Well the cops are no longer going to be a good source of information now that the adults are involved."

Shima turned to the group and shrugged. Yuuta however added, "Well there are those crazy reflections that tried to kill us, we ended up meeting last time. Which means we are also without Eiddet."

This caused the group to fall silent in thought and concern. Shiho finally suggested, "We can focus on something we could try. Find a mirror we could enter close to where Takeyoshi lives. Since it seems people only appear in the same place in that world where they disappeared from. Like the area I lived in was replaced by my old school."

Shima nodded and added, "That does make sense. Afterall, I disappeared at the hospital and I appeared in the TV world equivalent. We could minimize the amount of time we spend there by eliminating travel time. Slip in, save this prick, and get back out before the reflections have any idea we are there." Nanako was reminded about the fact that Shima was not happy with Takeyoshi.

"What we need then," Nanako thought out loud, "is to figure out how that portion of town is going to change so we can adjust accordingly. The last thing we need is to try to go through a mirror that ends up in the middle of a place we can't get out of. What has been consistent about that world and the way that it has changed?"

Miwa spoke aloud and explained, "It will always change in ways that are important and defining to the individual. Shima's hospital took the place of the hospital where his surgery happened. Shiho's house and city block became her old school."

"What about you? The Moel station didn't transform when you go sucked in," Yuuta commented thinking back on it.

Miwa shook her head, "But it did. But there was never a specific location that defined my relationship with my parents. In fact it was the exact opposite."

Nanko nodded as she remembered the day. "Her shadow did say that if it meant she would be like them, her parents would erase the town," Nanako explained.

"Holy shi- oot," Shima remarked. He had never heard about what had happened for Miwa or Yuuta.  
Nanako closed her eyes to think about things. However it did not take long for her to realize exactly the place that would be there when they went for him. "The courthouse. The place his parents finalized their divorce in front of the whole world. The event that made him obsessed with numbers and become a shut in," Nanako explained.

"So we are talking about half of a block then," Yuuta announced. "This is the place in Okina City we're talking about right?" Nanako nodded. "So we need somewhere we can go into the Mirror World outside of a half block from his house that will allow to get as close to his home as possible. Any ideas?"

"He'll be a few blocks from where the school appeared. Nanako showed up at my house immediately after he conversation with Takeyoshi-kun right?" Shiho asked. Miwa nodded and gave a hum for confirmation.

Shima sighed after a moment and suggested, "We could use my house. I wasn't there when I got taken so my house should be relatively unaffected in the Mirror World. I am in the same neighborhood as those two. We are just gonna have to do this tonight. My parents are home all day and the last thing I need is for them to hear us suddening falling out of my mirror."

"I should be able to get out tonight. My parents have been easing up on the overbearing behavior since I met you all," Shiho said with a small smile.

Yuuta added, "My mom is working a night shift so it'll be no problem."

"I am usually not home most nights," Miwa said. "My parents will probably assume I am at Nanako's house."

"My dad will be busy with looking for Takeyoshi, this will probably be the only opportunity we get, we are so close to a week already," Nanako finally commented.

Shima pulled out his phone and saw the time, "Well if I am going to get back to class on time, I have to head back now. Show up around 11 PM, I'll meet you guys out in front." He started to walk off with a tap, clack, slap. The rest of the group followed after him.

* * *

That night Shima stood outside in a tank top and black jeans. He very rarely showed his arms since the accident. The multitude of scars on them took on a strange out of place sheen in the moonlight. Not so much that he was glowing but simply reflecting the light in places more so than others. He did not usually wear these types of shirts as you could both see the scars on his arms and how they continued onto his torso. But it would make for a nice change of pace from his school uniform. A light breeze passed through the air and the first to arrive was Shiho in a baggy white sweatshirt over a red shirt and black shorts. She was caught in her tracks when she realized what she was seeing.

"You are not wearing sleeves," Shiho told him. She immediately thought about finding a shovel so she could dig her own hole faster.

Shima seemed to get a bit bashful as he looked away. "I-I-I figured it would be a good for you if you could see that I was also- I mean it was time to try something new. Expand my horiz… It is just whatever," he tried to tell her. The dynamic of the relationship had certainly changed since obtaining their Personas though neither one really wanted to admit it.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Shiho replied quietly. "I just think that it suits you better than constantly suffocating yourself in all the layers you wear year round. I don't think you have anything you should feel like to have to hide."

The two of them fell quiet and just enjoyed each other's company while waiting for the rest of their group to show up. The next one to arrive was Miwa, sporting an orange jacket with a yellow sweater vest underneath. "Hey you two! Nanako just texted, says she is on her way," Miwa told them. If she noticed Shima's scars she certainly was not letting on. Shima was grateful for her tact nonetheless, making the decision to wear this where others would see it had been an agonizing one.

Yuuta came running down the street in a Featherman t-shirt and hat. "Alright, I am here. I am not late," he claimed through small huffs. Just a few minutes later Nanako showed up looking a little disheveled.

"Sorry for being late, I was trying to get some rest before went in and I over slept a little," she explained rubbing one of her eyes for emphasis. The group all gave each other a quick nod. Shima heaved a sigh as he led the group into his home and to his room.

"Well, here goes nothing," Shima said sticking his cane and hand through the mirror first. Passing through the mirror he found himself in his own room again, but the paint was worn and faded. "Looks better," he commented as the others followed him into the room. Making sure everyone was ready for the job ahead, Nanako led the group out of Shima's house and as they stepped outside, they could see the school they escaped from weeks ago.

"So," Nanako thought out loud. "We should find the changed building on the far side of the school."

"In case the reflections are still there, let's take a wide path around the school," Yuuta suggested. While under normal circumstances this trip would have been 10 to 15 minutes, even for Shima, the longer path the felt would be safest took them nearly 30 minutes. With only a few minor encounters with the odd shadow, it was an easy journey nonetheless.

"This really is the building from Okina City, right?" Yuuta asked aloud receiving a deafening silence. Looking over at the others they were all focused on something up near the clock tower. They saw what appeared to be shadows in cages and written in red, what they all hoped was just paint, was a proclamation.

"A million bad things happen everyday. The strangest day on Earth will be the day that nothing bad happens. Death is inevitable, preservation is a constant process," Shiho read aloud. As much one would want to say they wanted to argue the point, they were all a perfect fit for the message it was conveying. Physical disability, abuse, and loss were integral to the foundation the group standing outside this building. Soon the door opened and stepping out the building was Takeyoshi.

"Greetings," he said evenly. His outfit was one that caught the group off guard. It looked like a graduation gown, without the hat and tassel of course. "Did you know that if you go passed this point you are 100% likely to be in for a world of pain. I would just leave now, I am not worth those chances." He turned from them and slowly walked back within the building

"Tell me something about this guy Takeyoshi," Shima finally spoke after the shadow left them behind. Nanako and Miwa looked at him expectantly. "He was your friend right? Before he went off the deep end?"

Miwa hummed in the affirmative. "Takeyoshi, Nanako, and I all grew up together. Before his parents got divorced he was the golden boy of our grade and one of the greatest friends you could ask for. But he just slowly began to distance himself from everything. Including us," Miwa explained. She got progressively sadder the longer she talked about it.

"Let's go get him," Shima replied. The group headed into the building and Shima drew his blade from his cane. "Time to face reality, you prick."

Stepping into the building they found themselves in a living room. "Isn't this normally where a Lobby would be?" Yuuta asked almost out of obligation. In this world, anything that was different was the norm. Looking around, the place was sterile and uncluttered.

Nanako walked away from the group as she let her fingers lightly graze the surface of the things she recognized. The room as unchanged as the last time she and Miwa had been in there, before their falling out with Takeyoshi. Soon there was the expected voice of Takeyoshi that originated from nowhere and could be heard throughout the room.

 _"Every day is the same. Wake up. Grab an applesauce container. Some of the only stuff I can bring myself to eat. Over 5000 people died from choking on food in America in 2015. Stay in my room. Check the news. Read up on injury reports from around the world. Study the topic for the day. Regret everything that I can't do anymore because I am a coward. I miss Nanako-chan and Miwa-chan. But they are better off without me. I have to be ok with that. Chances are that our friendship would never last anyway."_

"Takeyoshi-kun, why would you ever convince yourself of that?" Miwa asked out loud. It was clear that his words had severely upset her. "You were our friend. We would have never stopped being your friend if you hadn't shut us out."

Yuuta however was also getting mad. "Oh, we are so going to give this guy a dose of reality. He needs to get over this crap!" he suddenly shouted. "I get it! It hurts to face reality. But denying it is no way to live. At this point he may as well be six feet under for all the good he is doing."

Nanako headed towards the door that would normally lead out the back of the house and found it locked. But the hallway towards where his room would be was missing. The only way to proceed forward was this specific door. Looking at the sliding door there was no physical lock which meant that whatever was blocking the way forward was not a physical force or they might have had Shima try to knock in with his Persona.

Shiho had been quiet upon entering the building. She felt like an outsider on this matter and simply kept her thoughts to herself as she took a look around the room. The walls were without pictures, the surfaces were bare with only the essential living items that made you realize that this place was a home at all. However something caught her attention in the kitchen attached to the room they were in. It was small, but with it so out of place it was particularly eye catching. A gold wedding band. An extremely simple ring but it was discarded on the floor as if it fell there from somewhere higher up.

Nanako noticed Shiho's interest in the object and came over to see what she found as the others continued to look around at the sparse furnishings and decorations. Nanako gasped when she saw the object.

"What?" Shiho asked her, startled by the response.

Nanako reached down and picked up the ring off the floor and held it in her palm. "This ring belonged to his dad before the divorce. I was here when the big fight happened. His mom was ushering us out of the house into the back yard. He took it off as we were heading out the back. He threw it at her before the door closed. Takeyoshi sat down on the back porch and just waited there to go in. Fighting back tears the whole time. This object is a symbol of his struggles," Nanako explained.

 _"I hate him. So much. How could he do this to her? Mom has never been the same since the ring bounced off her chest and rolled across the ground. He left us. And I am his son. What if I end up like him? Statistically speaking… I would be 14% more likely to also get a divorce. He doesn't even call anymore. No… it is better if I stay alone. I will never have the chance to hurt anyone in here. I'll never get hurt in here. I am sorry though… Nanako-chan… Miwa-chan… I am sorry that it had to be at the expense of your friendship."_

"Takeyoshi," Nanako said out loud, heartbroken. Miwa stayed very quiet.

"I see," Shima said with a calmer voice than he had before while the back door slid open. "He was only trying to protect himself and his friends. A desire to protect turned to paranoia. Let's go save him."

The group took a moment before Nanako and Miwa led the group out into a hallway that looked a bit more like you would see in an actual courthouse. There was a large set of double doors. It was time to walk into the room and face the music.

The group found themselves in the main courtroom of the twisted little world that Takeyoshi's Shadow created. Looking around they found they found the walls were lined in books and knowledge. Sitting in the Judge's place was Takeyoshi but the yellow glow to his eyes were all they needed to know his true identity. To his right, Takeyoshi was at the stand and he was very clearly uncomfortable being there. The Shadows appearance made even more sense to the group now as his outfit which had at first looked like a graduation gown was actually a judge's robe.

"Please everyone be seated for the case of 'The World vs Takeyoshi' is now in session. All parties have now arrived," the shadow announced. Nanako and the group continued to stand until shackles lashed out from the seats around the courtroom and they all found themselves dragged to their seats.

"The honorable Judge Takeyoshi is preceding. The case can now begin," the Shadow continued. "So I think we can all agree that we know why we are here. To see this young man receive his just desserts and be punished for his crimes against humanity. Point 1, he has actively turned his back on a world that could greatly use a mind as brilliant as his own making next big breakthrough."

"Takeyoshi! It is going to be ok! it is ok to admit to your faults," Nanako called out. A metal panel curved around her mouth and held her in place while effectively muted. However, it was not just that she could not talk, suddenly she could not even feel Themis in her mind.

"No more outbursts! I will hold you in contempt if you further disrupt these proceedings. Now onto point 2, Takeyoshi Hada is guilty of the crime of cowardice. When others were faced with hardships like losing a leg they continued to press forward. It is an insult to all those who came before and survived greater hardships," the Shadow continued snidely. Shima looked like had something to say, but one look at Nanako shut his mouth and settled for just trying to break free of his chains.

"Point 3, you have directly betrayed the confidence of your two closest friends over some strange and demented self-loathing you disguised as paranoia. And finally, the most heinous of your crimes you villainous coward is the impersonation of the judge of this court. How do you plead?"

"Innocent!" Takeyoshi exclaimed with an neutral expression on his face and eyes closed. When he opened them, it was clear that he was terrified beyond rational thought. "You don't know me. You are not me!" he shouted at the Shadow version of himself.

The shadow let out a long and hollow laugh. He stood up and as he did books seemed to levitate from their shelves and as they all turned to face the judge, the whole group could see they all had Shadow Mask on them. Shiho closed her eyes and began to take on a blue glow. Her Persona responded to her command. "Traesto, now!"

The party all vanished from their seats but reappeared inside the chamber and Shiho fell to the floor screaming in agony and holding her head. Nanako tried to speak but saw that she still had the metal across her mouth.

"Order in the court. In the denial of these allegations, I sentence Takeyoshi Hada to death, by his own Shadow. His true self!" The shadow in the court garb declared as he was soon engulfed in darkness as the books around the room all flew into the mass. Miwa brought forth her Persona and eased the suffering of Shiho who was finally beginning to regain her footing. Having her mind, which was lugging around four other people, suddenly crash headlong into a wall caused her to nearly black out and it was clear that she was still disoriented.

The shadow of Takeyoshi was suddenly standing above them, two giant books levitating around him. The judge's robe was still on but it came equipped with a hood that made him look less like a judge and more like an executioner.

"I am the shadow. The true self. With the power of Epimetheous, Titan of Excuses, your feelings are merely an afterthought to my own comfort and needs. This will never change!" the shadow challenged.

Yuuta took on blue glow as his Persona ripped its way into reality, chainsaw blade running as immediately went to attack. A large book blocked the attack as the Shadow looked at the details of the book in front of him. Suddenly a burst of energy reflected the physical attack back at the Persona and Hyperion was sent flying back.

"Hyperion of the Magician Arcana. Rhea of the Chariot Arcana and I take it the one before was Phoebe of the Empress Arcana. Interesting. This information will be invaluable," the Shadow titan mused. Another of the giant books turned around and flying forward from it was a bust of flame at the group. Shima ran forward with scarred arms wide open and the fire slammed into him and he was then consumed. The others all yelled or reached out to him.

As the fire died down, Shima stood there silently and completely unaffected by the fire that had seemed to consume him. However, it was very apparent to the Shadow, that the fire did not just dissipate. No it had been absorbed by his body. But he had not brought forth his Persona yet.

"Clever. Don't want to reveal your full powers, eh?" the shadowed challenged. A book floated above him and began to slam down. However, Hyperion recovered and with his chariot wheel overhead blocked the attack.

Nanako was desperately trying to summon forth Themis but the metal bar seemed to completely separate her from her Persona. She began trying to tear the metal bar away to no avail.

Shiho was finally seeing the world straight and saw Nanako struggling against the metal bond. Phoebe materialized next to Nanako and with glowing hands, removed the real bar from Nanako's mouth who felt her Persona's power roar to life within herself. She nodded to Shiho as she turned to the enemy with a determined look in her eye. With a large hammer in hand Nanako ran forward to test a theory.

Themis's hand suddenly grabbed the back of her shirt as the Persona appeared and tossed her up onto the book being held up by Hyperion, where Nanako then launched herself forward and slammed her attack into the Shadow itself. No forcefield prevented the attack. So she was right. The books were the problem. If you could get them far enough out of the way, then the enemy was left open.

"Nanako… why do you try so hard when he has simply given up?" the Shadow asked the girl who was now strategically boom over Hyperion lifted up and then flipped around knocked the Persona and Shima back. Themis caught the upperclassmen and put him down. Rhea healed the roughed up Hyperion.

Miwa and Shiho looked at each other and they both seemed to have the same idea as a red and blue aura engulfed Shima. Shortly after, Hyperion let off a green glow as the third and final color joined over Shima. Nanako noticed the change and realized that they all were on the same page, to make a small joke at this situation. Themis charged forward swung her hammer in the direction of one of the books. Hyperion in the other direction as he swung the chainsaw blade and the other book went to block him. Iapetus faded in behind Shima as he finally called forth his Persona. The persona, much like Themis had done before, threw his summoner through the air. Then it charged the now open Shadow, a blade drawn from his cane like Shima did above. The two of them crossed through the open Shadow and watched as it fell backward and Iapetus caught the boy he served. Shima however was not done as he made his way down to the bottom of the stand, there he also joined by Nanako and Miwa.

"Listen, Takeyoshi-kun I get it. You are hurt, I get it. But sometimes the things that hurt you have to make you stronger. You have to let yourself be stronger," Shima yelled up to him. Takeyoshi saw the scars that covered his arms.

Nanako called up after him, "We are still here for you if will have us Takeyoshi-kun. We always have been waiting for you to be ready to come back to us. Please don't feel like you have to push us out. You can grow with us and make sure you don't ever turn into anything you don't want to be!"

Miwa was quiet except to hold her hand out to him and she said softly, "Please come back with us."

Takeyoshi watched the battle with a type of fear he had never felt before. But as his shadow fell he started to feel something. A type of calm he had not felt in a long time. He walked down from the stand and took Miwa's hand as she led him over next to what was now his mirror image. He sat down next to himself as it was trying to get to its feet. "Let's talk. I will acknowledge that we are both really messed up. So let's be practical about this. If you quit trying to be a murderous psychopath, I'll get us out of the house. We'll go back to school. We'll prove to ourselves that we do not have to be our father. So can we just put this behind us? If not for us, then at least for them," he said to himself. They sat across from each other for a moment of quiet until the shadow finally said.

"These terms are acceptable." The shadow disappeared and forming above its previous position was an imposing figure. Wearing what looked like a lab coat, around it head was a crown of constellations. "I am Coeus, Titan of Intellect. With power of my knowledge you shall learn to conquer the world you have convinced yourself is too scary." The titan then faded into a card and two words escaped Takeyoshi's lips as the card disappeared into him and making glow blue.

"Hermit Arcana."

The trip back out was just as uneventful as the trip in. So it seemed that this strategy was the way to go going forward. "Hey, guys. I'll lead Takeyoshi home," Nanako told the others.

Shima nodded, "I'll lead Shiho home then and we'll break off from you two when we get there. You two will be ok?" He then asked the other two underclassmen. They both signed in the affirmative.

Nanako, Shima, Shiho and Takeyoshi all made their way through the residential district. As they got to Shiho's house, Nanako and Takeyoshi separated from their upperclassmen.

"You know Shima, I think it was really brave of you to reach out to Takeyoshi like that," Shiho commented idly. Shima shrugged his exposed shoulders. "Do you think you could wear short sleeves more often?"

"Why?"

Shiho wrapped her arms around his and leaned her head against him as she replied quietly, "No reason."

Shima seemed to get extremely bashful. "I guess if you want me to I could…"

* * *

Nanako and Takeyoshi left their two upperclassmen behind as Nanako continued to lead Takeyoshi to his own home. He was nervous and never was more than half an arm's length from her. "Nanako-chan," he said stopping her as they approached his house.

"What is it Takeyoshi?" Nanako asked him making a point to drop the honorific around him now.

"I'm… sorry. For everything. Everything I said, everything I did. Everything I didn't do…" he explained to her trying to find the words. He was almost never at such a loss for words. "Especially what I said the last time we saw each other. I know I hurt you. And yet you never stopped reaching out to me. If you hate, I understand. Just please give me the opportunity to atone for my transgressions."

Nanako sighed. "I will acknowledge that you hurt me Takeyoshi. A lot. But you were already hurting. But my friends, the one who came to save you tonight, showed me there is nothing wrong with growing strong with help from others. I gained a lot from my Big Bro. But there is nothing wrong with what I have gained from him. Because now I know that I can pay it forward to the people I care about. Even you," Nanako told him.

"I'm not worthy of it. Not after everything I did…" Takeyoshi said dejectedly. Nanako however reached into her pocket and pulled out a paper notice.

"I told the others I was late to the meeting spot tonight because if a nap," Nanako explained to him as she held it out to him. "Actually I was desperately looking for this." Takeyoshi took the paper notice from her and opened it and his eyes went wide and began to water. "In the first grade, you asked me for this paper notice. Miwa-chan, Yo-chan, and I all came over to deliver it to you. Takeyoshi… you never stopped being important to me. You never stopped being my friend. Friends are going to cause each other some pain. But that does not completely eliminate everything that is good about the friendship. Not now, not ever. As long as you want us, we'll be here. Yuuta, Shima-senpai, and Shiho-senpai, too."  
Takeyoshi nodded as he and Nanako turned to finishing going to his house. As they got his door he stopped again and looked up at the moon. "Nanako, thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," Nanako said with a smile. "When you are ready, we'll see you at school. Meet us up on the roof at lunch and we will get you up to speed on the situation."

"The roof? Don't you realize how dangerous that is…?"

Nanako chuckled and shook her head, "If not now, when are you going to start taking those small steps? I'd say now would be a golden opportunity."


	12. Chapter 12: Renegades

**Author's note: Hey guys... sorry for the delay. I am not gonna delay you much longer with excuses, but I figure I might owe at least an explanation for my absence. So since the last chapter has gone up I went on a small holiday vacation. My work site was shut down and I was let go. I have survived two waves of the same arctic front and ultimately had a lot of motivation problems. But I am back and hopefully here to stay this time. I have started a second FanFic to hopefully keep me motivated called 7 Guardians which is a Kingdom Hearts crossover fic which will be featuring Persona at some point in the future. I have been looking over some of my previous chapters and have seen some grammatical fixes to be made. At some point I will issue those fixes once I feel the motivation to make those new documents on the site.  
**

 **For those of you who are still here, thanks for your patience. Please enjoy this chapter. ~Noxmad**

"You are kidding me," Shima yelled outraged.

The group around him was quiet. It had been a fairly quiet day on the rooftop as Shima came up to the roof in a bad mood. So when he dropped his lunch, his outburst silenced the explanations trying to play catch up with a nervous Takeyoshi who was wearing a ridiculously large pair of sunglasses. Shima stood up and walked over to the edge of the roof and just looked out over the town, a heavy limp plaguing his steps. It was a very heavy limp and the whole group could see it. Shiho immediately ran over to him.

Nanako was worried, but they needed to get Takeyoshi up to date, it had been nearly a week since they saved him and he finally showed up to school. "So do you have any questions on what you have been told so far?"

Takeyoshi nodded and as he pushed his sunglasses back in place, "I don't necessarily think you can answer many of them. They are probably many of the same questions that you have. But let me think." After a moment he shrugged. "I really don't think that there is any question I could ask."

"Well then what are you thinking?" Miwa asked him staring at his sunglasses. When she asked him about when he first showed up she got a mumbled answer involving something he had referred to solar retinopathy and being the one to get the last laugh when his was the best vision of the people on the roof.

Takeyoshi nodded in response to Miwa's inquiry and then tried to stand up like he was going to give a presentation. He then immediately found himself getting nervous and sitting back down. "I don't think the people currently on this roof are an accident. What is the likelihood that three long term classmates, a friend of another set of Persona-users, the school delinquent and the school drop out all end up being involved and chosen, it would seem, by the Mirror World? All of us wounded in our pasts by emotional abuse, loss, physical deformity, death... No one else can get in there on their own. On top of which, we have to conclude that the Mirror World is completely contained within Inaba. After all, there are no incidents known outside of our sleepy little town of people disappearing in an apparent ransacking and showing up dead a week later. Speaking of which, I hesitate to talk about this with it being only a very tentative hypothesis but I have to bring to the table a potential next victim if she ever plays the Mirror Game."

This immediately caught Nanako's attention. "Wait, you think you might know who is in danger of being a victim of the Mirror Game? How?" Nanako asked him, near desperation. She was still cut off from her old sources.

"Look," Takeyoshi replied hesitantly, "I am only bringing this up because the pieces line up, but I am sure there are others who could fit the bill. But with all of us here… I think there is a high likelihood that the next victim could be Yo-chan."

Nanako had not been expecting that answer. It had been a long time since she had spoken, let alone heard, the name of Yo Misaka. "How? Like, how did you come to that conclusion, I mean. Yo-chan? Really?" Nanako asked him.

"Ok, let me explain. Yo-chan is one of our original group, right? When I disappeared, she separated from you two. I tried to keep up with her for a while and even tracked her down a couple times when surveillance camera perusing was my past time for a few months. At various clubs. The farthest out I have seen her was in Tatsumi Port Island. A place called Club Escapade. Mostly though, she just ends up in Okina. However, this is not the only reason I think she will be next. She has been low on money, so getting out of the city has been more difficult for her. The longer she comes down from her lifestyle, the more likely she will be to pursue other activities. The basic connection forming between the Mirror Game and the local crimewave," Takeyoshi explained in detail.

"Can we stop her?" Yuuta asked. "Before she has to go in?"

"Does it help if we stop her?" Miwa asked. "She doesn't go in, she doesn't face up to herself. And even if half the rumors I have heard are true, she might need to face herself."

Yuuta however was ready with a retort, "But she might be saved in real life as much as she could be saved in there. No one should have to face their shadow just to realize they are worth saving."

"I understand where you are coming from," Shiho commented. "But I think you are overlooking one thing."

"Senpai?" Both Miwa and Yuuta asked at the same time.

Shiho looked back at her underclassmen. "Shima and I found each other. We helped each other last a little longer than we might have alone. But at the end of the day, we both still played the Mirror Game. And the Mirror Game still chose us. If Yo-chan is to be chosen, then delaying the inevitable may hurt her in the long run," Shiho explained.

"I agree with our Senpai on this one," Takeyoshi added. "She does bring up a very important point that the people who are taken in there, are the ones who seem to need it most. Although, it seems like it may not go well for anyone who does not have the needed support to survive as was evident by the loss of the blogger and one of our former classmates."

Nanako had to agree with their assessment. But she did not like it. Like it normally did, having Takeyoshi made Nanako speak more eloquently than normal, "I have to say that you are more than likely correct. But if that place is designed to help people, why kill them if they reject that help? These shadows only go berserk when they are denied. And they go about it in such a terrible way." The group did not know how to proceed with this line of thought though. They were going to need to think on it more.

"Well in the meantime, I think we should at least try to reach out to Yo-chan. She may be more willing to accept our help if we can get on better terms with her," Miwa suggested. "But, I don't necessarily think she will want to see us. The way our friendship split up was particularly rough on her."

Nanako nodded.

"It definitely didn't help that we didn't fight her pushing us away. Last I heard she dyed her hair blue," Yuuta added.

"Dyed hair?" Nanako commented and she looked over at Shima who was at this point still just staring over the city, favoring his good leg. "Shima? Have you ever run into a girl our age with blue hair?"

Shima turned and leaned against the chainlink as he did as to no put pressure down on his prosthetic. Once he was fully turned around he replied, "Yeah. Before I could find a place to buy the stuff to do it myself, I went to a place in Okina City to get my hair bleached. I think she was a regular there because her dye was faded and they didn't even need to ask her which color product to use to get the blue she wanted. She was dressed like she was ready to go to a club. If her name was Yo, I don't think anyone addressed her specifically by name while I was there."

"Do you think you could try to approach her. See if she is doing alright?" Nanako asked him.

"Maybe. Don't know how much she is going to want to befriend a guy in a wheelchair for the next two or three weeks," he replied slightly bitterly.

"What?" the group all responded.

Shima sighed. "I have been irritating my stump too much. It has caused me to get an infection. In order for the infection to properly heal, I can't wear my prosthetic. I wanted to tell you guys like this before I came to school in the wheelchair tomorrow," Shima explained to them. "I was supposed to be in it today, I just needed the chance to explain to you guys so it doesn't have to come as a shock. Long and short of it is, I am not going to be able to make it to the rooftop meetings for a while. Nor will I be able to be of any assistance in the next rescue mission if it happens any time soon."

"Yo-chan may be a bit flighty, but she has never been stuck up. If you show her you are worth her time as a person, she won't care if you are in a wheelchair," Takeyoshi told Shima confidently. His assessment of Shima was becoming more and more complete the longer he interacted with him. While it was ok for someone like Shiho to worry about him as a close friend, the last thing he wanted was pity from the rest of the group. It must have been the reason he hid his pain from the others.

Shima nodded. "I'll try my best to earn her trust," he replied. "It would be best if she hasn't seen us all around too much. I think it would go over better if it seemed like I was not reaching out to her for you guys. More like I just so happen to be friends with you guys and we ended up in the same place at the same time." They had a plan and that weekend they would put it into action.

* * *

Shima sighed as he wheeled himself around the school for the first time since he got to Yasogami High School. He had to get a key for the wheelchair access elevator which he could tell had not been used in years by the stale air in it. The brief stint of coming into the school building had already been his worst nightmare. He just finally got people to stop staring at him because of his cane. Suddenly that can was gone and replaced by a tied off pant leg and a wheelchair. Every single eye in the whole damn building would be on him for that whole… well half-day. It was Saturday after all. His part in the next rescue was coming up after school. This was orchestrated by Takeyoshi who found out, by means he refused to share, that Yo Misaka was going out to Okina City to hit up a hairdresser and then go clubbing. Shima was to go to the hairdresser which was a business on the ground floor of its own building asking for assistance with acquiring product for his hair on an upper level. While it would be unreasonable for the hairdresser themselves to do it. Yo apparently had a soft place for helping people. At least she did, back when Nanako and crew still knew her well.

Shima had some issues with using his disability like this. However, as long as it was for the good of Yo in the long run, then he would leave his hang ups by the door. The rest of the day went by about as fast as one would assume being stuck in a chair longer than the rest of your classmates. He did his best to avoid the rest of the group only having a brief run-in with Shiho. He offered her a very half-assed smile at the time to keep her from worrying. But soon he would be out of the building and on his way immediately to the train station.

Rolling down the road he took some back roads to avoid the stares of the population. So he finally got to the station. Upon enter he looked down the platform was a very noticeable head of faded blue hair. Shima looked over and it was clear that the girl wearing it was younger than him. That must have been Yo. He rolled further down the platform than he normally would have and put himself near her.

"Excuse me," Shima said as he moved past her and came to a stop to wait for the train.

Yo-chan looked at him and realized he was in a wheelchair. "Oh, sorry. I was tuning out. Wait, you're a student at Yasogami too? My name is Yo Misaka, first year," Yo introduced herself.

"Shima Okazaki, third year," he replied.

"Really? Sorry for being so informal, senpai."

"Don't bother. I'm a delinquent, you don't have to use the honorific," Shima replied.

Yo giggled a little at his attitude. "Ok. Whatever you say Shima-kun," she replied. "Soooo... what are you heading into Okina for?"

"Well I am currently not allowed to wear my prosthetic, I was hoping to go talk to the hairdresser and see if they had anything for my hair. My natural color is starting to grow back in and I can't bleach it without supplies," Shima replied half-truthfully.

Yo frowned and replied, "Oh, that sounds like the worst. I can tell you that the Salon doesn't sell any of the product they use but there is a store down the block and a few stories… up." She did not seem to realize why he was going to ask them. No, it was not until she was saying it to him out loud that she realized. "Ah! I... am so sorry."

Shima tried to hold a somewhat offended face but it disappeared into a chuckle. "It's fine," he reassured her of his lack of offence taken. He thought it was actually really funny that someone could be so disconnected from a situation they were taking part in as to forget about a wheelchair. "If I am being honest, I normally go up to the regular place. I am currently on probation from my prosthetic. Otherwise I would go up and get it myself."

"Well, I am heading to the hairdresser, I can help you get what you need once I go to my appointment," Yo offered.

Shima thought about it for a moment and finally responded, "I don't want to take up your time. But if it's not any trouble, I wouldn't say no."

After a few moment, the train arrived and the two of them boarded together. They sat silently for a moment until Yo finally decided to ask, "Hey, Shima have you been hanging out with a girl named Nanako Dojima recently?"

Shima looked at her and replied, "Yeah, I only just met her a while ago. Do you know her?"

"So, she hasn't mentioned me? I was a friend of hers back in elementary school and middle school," Yo explained. "We had a friend who went away for awhile and our group sorta split up after that. Well some of us did. She and Miwa ended up staying together and Yuuta always seemed to gravitate towards them."

Shima hummed. "Have you ever thought about reaching out to them? You know, I hear that waiting for someone to save you is only a temporary fix," he told her.

Yo simply looked at the floor of the train and answered, "Uh, I don't think they want me. Not anymore."

Shima titled his head at her. "Mind if I ask why?" Yo fell silent at this point. Sore subject. "You color your hair often?"

"Uh-huh! Just the blue and only when it starts to fade. Looks good, right? I especially like the way it looks at the clubs," she answered happily. He pushed his luck that time. But she seemed to not completely close him out. She could be saved, but unfortunately he would not be one of the ones to do it. "You only bleach I take it? Your hair is really bleach blonde."

Shima nodded. "Though the first time I did, my natural hair color was so dark that it came out orange. So I have to bleach it twice to get it to this color," Shima told her. "As you can imagine, my hair is not in the best condition anymore."

"Yeah, I am actually naturally light haired. I remembered my mom had to prove it was my real hair color to the school when I was younger because the middle school had a no-dyed-hair policy. When I decided to actually start changing my hair color, well I wanted to make it obvious. Luckily for me, Yasogami High has yet to adopt any kind of hair dye policy," Yo explained.

The two of them found themselves in Okina City shortly after. Shima followed her and as he got off the train he found himself slowing to a crawl of a roll. He had never been in Okina in his wheelchair. A small town was one thing, but an entire city when you were sitting half as tall as anyone else was suffocating and he had not even gotten out of the station yet. Yo turned back when she realized he had fallen behind and saw him with a lost expression on his face. She walked back over to him.

"Hey, you ok?" she asked him.

Shima shook himself from his stupor as the world started to feel normal again. "Sorry, I am just not used to being in a wheelchair. The last time I was ever in one was at the hospital where I re-learned how to walk. So you can probably imagine what this is like down here," he tried to play it off as just not being used to it. But he knew he was not selling it. Yo walked behind him and began pushing him forward. "You don't need to do that," Shima told her.

"Hmm, maybe I don't," Yo replied. "But you didn't have to give me the time of day. The least I can do is repay you." Shima had to think on this. Was this really what people could be like? He had spent so much time away from them, but to think that this little community would end up having some of the most genuine people he could ever know.

The two of them made their way to the hair salon. Shima felt the change in temperature upon entering. He was immediately greeted by the lady at the front.

"Well, well, well. Shima-chan. It has been awhile. And you are here with Yo-chan? I did not realize the two of you knew each other," the hairdresser said with a big toothy grin.

Yo answered first, "Ha! Actually we just met thanks to having similar goals today. He came out this way to get product, but as you can see, he is going to need help. I am so graciously donating my time today."

"It was the guilt trip," Shima added in a deadpan pointing to his tied off pant leg. This got a boisterous laugh from the hairdresser. Yo sat down in the hairdresser's chair and Shima rolled himself over to the window to people watch while vaguely hearing . As people passed by he began to roll some thoughts around in his head. He remembered what Shiho had said the day before. 'But at the end of the day, we both still played the Mirror Game. And the Mirror Game still chose us. If Yo-chan is to be chosen, then delaying the inevitable may hurt her in the long run.'

Shima was not sure how much time had passed but he was suddenly aware of someone with vibrant blue hair standing outside the window beckoning for him to leave the hairdressers. He rolled himself outside and Yo took her place back behind his wheelchair.

"So you were spacing out harder than I was at the station. What were you thinking about anyway?" Yo asked him.

Shima shrugged his shoulders and responded, "Rumors."

"Ooh, anything juicey?"

This was the point of no return. "Have you heard of the trend floating around the school? The uh, Mirror Game?" Shima asked.

Yo replied, "Uh-huh. Haven't gotten around to playing it yet. Have you tried it?"

Shima decided to not lie about it. Though he could not tell her the full story. "I have. It was an interesting experience. You should try it, words will not do it justice," Shima commented. He looked up at her behind him. Yo looked down and then with a grin answered.

"Ok, bring it. But once I do it, you have to admit that your Mirror Game showed you me which is why we are here today," Yo teased.

Shima chuckled and replied slyly, "You wish."

The rest of the day went well. She went and got him his bleach, the two of them hung out in Okina for a while longer going from store to store. At one point she had even bought him a dark red hair tie telling him to try wearing his longer hair back sometime. Then they wound up at station again. The two of them fell quiet after a day of conversation.

"Well, this is where I think we go our separate ways," Yo said after a moment. Shima looked over at her with a silent, questioning look. "I've got a party to go to."

Shima turned towards her in his wheelchair. "The club right? Can I ask why you party so much?"

"I dance to forget. Out on the dance floor is the only place I can feel truly alive," Yo replied sadly. Shima however could not fault her for it.

"Stay safe," Shima told her. After she began to walk away he turned back towards the tracks and waited for the train back home to arrive. He had planted the seed. The sooner she could be saved, the better off she would be. This time, they were going to get ahead of the game.

* * *

"Miwa?" Nanako called out arriving at the Ito household.

"Nanako, come up to my room. I have got something to show you!" Miwa called back. Nanako made her way through the large house. Soon she found herself up in Miwa's room. When she got there, she was surprised to find Miwa holding a little white jewelry box

"What is this?" Nanako said looking at the box.

Miwa with a big smile told her, "Think about it. Last time you saw it, it might have been a different color."

Nanako gasped as she remembered a little pink box. "You mean...?"

Miwa smiled and nodded. "Our friendship box. My parents had taken it from me during our… disagreements…" Miwa began trailing off as she explained. "Bitch-fest. We will call it what it was. They took it away from me during our bitch-fest. But now that we have really sat down and talked, it is getting cleared up."

"I haven't seen this thing since…" Nanako began to trail off as she realized. The last time either of them had looked into this was before Takeyoshi's mental breakdown. Before their friend group had been scattered to the wind.

Miwa nodded and with a sad sigh admitted, "I still haven't looked inside it. It would not feel right without Yo-chan." Nanako nodded in agreement. "Do you think we have to let her be taken by the Mirror World? Is there no other way?"

Nanako sighed and answered, "I really don't know. I think that there could be. It would be dishonest if I said I have not been going back and forth on the idea in my head. What Shiho-senpai said makes a lot of sense though. Yo would not be a potential victim of the Mirror World if she did not need it."

"But how can we be sure if we don't try?" Miwa asked near desperation.

Nanako shook her head, "Miwa, if I told you before all this happened that you needed to talk to your parents about your future, would you have done it?"

"I might have…" Miwa said defiantly. Nanako gave her a look. "Let me finish. I might have told you to get real and blown your advise off."

The two of them looked down for a moment. "I'm afraid too, Miwa. The possibility that we fail always comes to mind every time we have to go in there. But we are the only hope these people have. Just because we know it is Yo-chan this time, does not mean that we would have the same opportunity for anyone else. We treat this like every other case, then we start working on trying to stop this from having to happen again," Nanako told her friend passionately.

"You know, you make this seem really possible when you say it like that," Miwa replied honestly.

Nanako just gave her a cheeky smile. "Well how else am I supposed to lead if not confidently?" Nanako asked. "When we get her back, we'll all open this and start again. The whole group."

"Yeah," Miwa said back happily. The two of them spent more time together before Nanako decided to head out and start making her way back home. On her way, she came across Yuuta sitting out at a small park.

Yuuta seemed to be thinking hard about something and did not even hear her approach. "Hey, Yuuta-kun!" Nanako called loudly as she stood next to him. Yuuta jumped from his seat and looked at her slightly panicked.

"Oh, Nanako-chan," Yuuta realized. "How long were you there?"

"I just got here," Nanako reassured him.

Yuuta just nodded and sat back down. "Sorry for tuning out. I just have a lot on my mind," he said to her.

"Is it about Yo-chan? Cause I just got done consoling Miwa about this. I got this topic on lock," Nanko said confidently. Yuuta just sat quietly looking at his feet. "What's wrong?"

Yuuta looked at her and said, "My stepmom is sick and hasn't been able to work for the last week. I am trying to be responsible and take her place as the primary caregiver until she is better, but I know that she is working herself to death at this rate."

"Oh," Nanako commented. "I am so sorry. Have you thought about picking up a second job? I know that Big Bro was working like 5 part time jobs while he was here."

Yuuta looked down again. "I am already working 3 now. I am going to have to skip one for going after Yo," he admitted sadly.

Nanako nodded at the realization. "Go ahead and do the job that night. Todoyashi, Miwa and Shiho can handle it. You gotta take care of things here, right?" Nanako offered.

"Are you sure, Nanako-chan?"

"Of course! Yuuta-kun, I would never want you to feel like you have to prioritize these missions over your family or personal life. We do this because we can and if your mom is sick, then right now you cannot. The health of your mom and your making money is just as important as this Mirror World business," Nanako told him as she gave him a hug.

Yuuta hugged her back and said, "Thank you. You have no idea how much of a weight that is off of my shoulders. And while she won't know, my mom thanks you too."

Nanako just smiled and nodded.

 ***Fun Fact: I actually learned that this was a thing. Many people in Japan are proud of the dark black hair. This dark hair pride has caused many schools to implement anti-hair-dye policies. However, more interestingly is that the demanding proof of lighter natural hair colors was actually something that was reported on and how I found out about this whole rabbit hole.**


	13. Chapter 13: Lonely No More

**Author's Note: So, not going to take up too much of your time up here. This here is a chapter containing just over 10,000 Words. Consider this a peace offering for the long break I made my followers suffer through (although this also had to do with the fact that I could not find a good half way point that wouldn't make the first half feel like a nothing chapter). There will probably be a little bit of a pause between this chapter and the next, I am hoping to give myself a one chapter buffer going forwards. Either which way, please enjoy this extra long chapter. ~Noxmad**

* * *

For as much fun as the club had been, Yo found herself in the bathroom lip locked with some woman she met on the dance floor. Mind clouded with hormones, adrenaline, and whatever drinks she had scooped off recently cleared tables. Wrapping her leg around the woman, Yo deepened the kiss and desperately attacked her partner. It was aggressive and it was a major turn on for Yo. The two of them seemed to be having a good time until the other woman separated their kiss. "Thanks for the fun sweetheart," she said as she got ready to leave. Yo looked at her confused for a moment.

"Hey, I thought this was going somewhere," Yo replied trying to catch her breath.

The woman however tossed Yo her wallet. "I have no intention of being a criminal. Go home, little girl," the woman told her. Yo held onto her wallet like it was a floatation device and she was drowning in a sea of rejection. Sinking down to a sitting position she was left alone feeling a little used. Looking in her wallet, she found most of her yen gone. Not only was almost all of her money gone, but her mind numbing entertainment had just left her alone with her thoughts. Yo climbed back to her feet as she headed for the door she caught her own reflection.

"So, that guy Shima mentioned the Mirror Game," Yo wondered out loud. Why was a guy like him thinking about participating in such a weird High School scam? He did seem far too into it for it be completely fake. Right? She stumbled out into the club and the lights suddenly seemed far too bright and the music too loud. Making her way out of the club Yo stumbled towards the train station she had left just hours earlier. Getting onto one of the last trains of the day to get back to Yasoinaba. She fell into the seat. "I miss being with them." She mumbled sleepily under her breath. The time they had spent growing up together had been some of Yo's most precious memories. Until Takeyoshi's mental breakdown broke the proverbial band up. Slightly irritated she let the thought pass. It was no use missing them at this point. It was not like they wanted her anymore.

A short ride later and she was back in her sleepy little town. Barely keeping her balance, Yo made her way through the train station. Upon coming close to the exit she found the little mirror wall just inside the terminal. "Hey, what can I say, I love a good rumor."

Walking over to the mirror surface she got a good look at her reflection and said to herself, "Ha! Hey there good lookin'. You are just looking cute tonight." She kissed her own reflection and then afterwards said, "Now, let's see if Shima saw me in his game, huh?" She giggled at her own joke perhaps a little too hard. Leaning against the mirror with one of her hands she said aloud, "Yo Misaka, Yo Misaka, Yo Misaka." The air was still for a moment. Then he reflection seemed to get a weirdly vindictive smile.

"Come here, good lookin'." The reflection said to her as it latched onto her hand and began to drag her into the mirror.

Upon her whole body breaching the surface she heard the sound of shattering glass and just before her consciousness faded she thought to herself, _Shima-kun help me._

* * *

Nanako was on the phone and livid. "What do you mean you told her to do the Mirror Game?!" She asked angrily. She was alone at home that night.

Shima on the other end of the line sighed and said, "Exactly what I said, Nanako. We all agreed that if she needed to face herself like we all did. I am just making sure that she gets the help we all think she needs."

"We are not supposed to inflate the numbers of people being affected, Shima. It is possible that she could have not had to go through with this," Nanako said angrily.

Shima was quiet. "She misses you guys, maybe you need her to go through the Mirror World as much as she needs to go through it herself. The thing Shiho said made sense didn't it?" Shima finally responded.

Nanako was honestly taken off guard by his logic there. "Seriously, how is a guy as smart of you almost flunking out?" Nanako asked him again.

"Cause it isn't about intelligence," Shima answered.

Nanako then finished for him, "Just perspective. Right?"

"Now you are getting it. Look, the night you guys go and get her, come back by my place. I have something for you to take to her. A small hair tie she got for me. If she knows I sent you, it could possibly help calm her down some. Especially since I won't be coming with you," Shima told her.

Nanako hummed in affirmation. "I am sorry I snapped at you, Shima-senpai," she told him.

"I probably deserved it for some reason," Shima said in such a way where you could just picture him shrugging while he spoke. The two hung up and Nanako sat down in a huff on her couch. It still frustrated her a little that this was all happening at all. Despite the fact that she was certain that Yo-chan would be next based on Takeyoshi's observations, it still did not feel good that her friend was being led into that place. Nanako needed some air. As she headed outside, she heard sirens in the distance. Nanako walked over to her bike and decided to chase after the sound. She needed to see if she could confirm if this was one of their cases. Riding off towards the sirens, the residential district passing by like a dark blur in the night air around her. She found herself down near the Moel gas station when she realized where she was going. The train station where she and her dad had picked up her Big Bro all those years ago.

* * *

Nanako and Dojima were parked in the car at the train station. Dojima looked over at her and he seemed like he had something to say to her but was struggling to find the words. She looked up at her father expectantly. They were both getting ready to have a teenager in the house for the next year.

"You know Nanako, your cousin is going to need some help getting settled in. While I may be busy with work at times, you will need to step up and help him with that. Can I count on your help?" her father asked her. Nanako looked uncertain but simply nodded. "Let's see we got this picture from my sister. He looks a little uncomfortable in this uniform though."

Nanako looked at the picture seeing a version of her cousin that she has never known. He looked a little withdrawn back then. A lot less social than he ended up being. Her father tapped her shoulder and pointed over at a young man leaving the train station. "Ok," was all she said. Why did she say that?

* * *

Nanako was suddenly pulled forcibly from her memory as she found herself careening off the side of the road she was on and falling off her bike. Looking around she found herself at the far end of the shopping district. She blanked out so hard that she completely missed where she was supposed to be going. Nanako struggled back to her feet a little shakily. Looking down at her leg, she could see that it was scratched up, but none of it was too serious. Looking at her bike though, she could see that it was looking rough. Nanako sat down and leaned against the wall of the building she crashed near. Still trying to wrap her mind around what was going on, she missed that the lights that came on and the door that opened.

"Hey, who's out there?" called out a familiar voice. Nanako flinched at the sudden voice. "Nanako-chan?" Coming into view was Kanji Tatsumi. He saw he bike and her leg. A sudden protective urge happened as he scooped her up and carried her into the textile shop. He carried her past the counter and up some stairs to the residential part of the building. He sat her down on a couch to look at her scratches. "What are you doing out this late?" he asked her as he proceeded to grab some tissues to wipe away some of dirt off her leg.

Nanako was hesitant to answer, but honesty would be the only route she could take at this point. "I heard sirens. I needed to see if someone else had been affected by the Mirror Game," she replied, trying not to flinch when Kanji touched the worst of the scratches.

"Thought we made it clear that we were going to deal with that," Kanji said with a hint of irritation on his voice.

Nanako seemed to get more obviously irritated and replied, "Is that we have saved another since that less than productive discussion?"

"You what?" Kanji asked louder than he meant.

From the other room the two of them heard, "Kanji, be nice. I am surprised that you all thought they would just stop because you told them to."

Walking into the room in a robe was Naoto Shirogane. Kanji looked over at her and seemed to deflate. "Is it so bad that we hoped that it would work?" Kanji asked walking over to the restroom and grabbing a first aid kit.

"We were once their age Kanji, we got told by people to stop to. One that even meant to cause harm to us if we did not relent. Last I checked we stayed in the game a number of years after that," Naoto answered as she took the kit from him and took over on helping the young girl.

Nanako looked at the two of them as they seemed to be "nicely" arguing. Nanako was trying to figure out what they were talking about in this case. From what she could tell, it seemed that they were referring to multiple instances of dealing with shadows.

"And if I remember correctly, we were the exact same way when the Shadow Operatives told us to stand down. Do you remember?" Naoto asked further pressing the point home.

Kanji scoffed and threw his hands up in defeat. "Alright, I get it. But this is Nanako we are talking about here. She should be living her best normal life now. Not dealing with… all of this," Kanji answered in a last ditch attempt to argue. Naoto stopped what she was doing and just looked at him. He sat down.

Naoto turned her attention to Nanako. "So, you are leading a group of Persona-users too then?" Naoto asked her calmly.

Nanako nodded.

"Then do you have the power to change your Persona?" Naoto asked curiously.

Nanako tilted her head. "Change my Persona?" she asked.

"That is a no then. Curious," Naoto said absently as she began to think.

"Why?" Nanako asked.

"Well a couple years ago, I was looking into what seemed to be potential shadow related incidents in Tokyo," Naoto began. "By the time I got around to them, they seemed to be fully solved. But there was group involved that from what I can dig up involved a group of teens. In fact, these teens went to a school that someone here in Inaba went to in the past."

"You're talking about the Phantom Thieves. The student is Shiho Suzui," Nanako said, connecting the dots for Naoto.

"Correct," Naoto said. "This group, much like ours and the Shadow Operatives before us, had a leader. And all our leaders have had the ability to use multiple Personas. So it is interesting that your case has been so different."

Nanako listened to Naoto talk about the cases and did not even realize that her leg had been finished by the time Naoto finished. "Are the Shadow Operatives related to Tatsumi Port Island?"

"You figured that out? How?" Naoto asked quietly amused.

"It was mostly Yuuta and Miwa who found it. But they realized that stuff that had been happening when you guys were around happened previously. But, Big Sis Naoto, we just wanted to help the people in our town. But so many of the people who have been disappearing have been my friends," Nanako explained. "We need to finish what we started."

Naoto smiled at Nanako and replied, "I know you do Nanako-chan. That is why I am telling both Kanji and the rest of our Investigation Team to not get in your way. And to help you in every way we can. I believe It would be what your Big Bro would have wanted us to do."

Nanako leapt forward and embraced the woman. "Thank you," she whispered to her.

"Why are you whispering?" Naoto asked. "Kanji left the room a while ago."

"I mean taking the time to talk to me like this since you two were very clearly doing something before this," Nanako said with a slightly mischievous voice. Naoto suddenly blushed deeply. "Do the others know about you two?"

Naoto blushed even deeper and replied, "We have not specifically mentioned it to them."

"I'll keep it a secret then," Nanako said. "I need to go."

Nanako got up to leave and as she headed back downstairs she saw Kanji who rather sheepishly said, "I'm sorry for my behavior. Isn't right of me, or any of us to try to keep you from livin' your life or experience something like this. If you ever need help though, don't hesitate to ask, y'hear?"

Nanako walked over and gave Kanji a hug. "At some point, Big Bro Kanji, I would like to have you sit down with a friend of mine," Nanako told him while they hugged.

"That bleached hair punk?" Kanji guessed.

Nanako nodded and said, "He's a good guy Kanji. I think he just needs some help finding direction. He's actually pretty smart even though he refuses to acknowledge it. I know that you figured out how to knuckle down and so I was hoping you could help him dedicate his energy to something."

Kanji looked at her and simply admitted, "Maybe you're right. When we got this Mirror World shit figured out, we'll schedule something."

"You are sounding so adult," Nanako said with a bright smile. She headed back outside and took a look at her bike. It was still ride-able. Getting back on the bike she got herself turned around. She headed over to the Train Station, or at least as close as she was willing to get to it on her bike. Which was quite a far way, due to the police presence. She tried to get just close enough on foot to see if she could overhear what was going on.

A nearby officer stated, "Another one. This is crazy. It is the disappearances all over again." That was all Nanako needed to hear. As she was getting ready to leave though she overheard another conversation with two very familiar voices. Her father and Big Sis Chie away from the scene having a pretty serious conversation.

"What do you mean we still can't find him?" Dojima asked.

Chie sighed. "I mean Yosuke, Rise, Teddie, Kanji, Yukiko, and Naoto have not been able to get into contact with him," Chie explained. "Yu seems to have disappeared off the face of the planet."

"Look," Dojima started, "it is clear that something here is happening that is a whole deal more like the the disappearances and the serial murder case back when you guys were still in High School. I don't know what that all means but if you have any ideas on this that we can turn into a real physical case, this whole situation could cause social unrest the likes we have not seen since back in those days."

"I know, Dojima-san. But as we have learned back in the day, not all of this stuff can be just explained away," Chie told him. "This case may not have a real world culprit. It hasn't yet. Not every case is going to have an Adachi."

Nanako knew she needed to get away now. Let the others know that it had happened and they had a new person to go and save. Heading back to her bike, she went off riding back home. Upon arriving she left her bike back in its dedicated spot and headed into her living room. Sending out a group text with the dtails she learned and instructions to meet tomorrow at the Junes Food Court to plan ahead for the next rescue mission.

* * *

The following morning Nanako waited for the group to arrive at Junes. Shima, with hair tied back, and Shiho arrived at the same time, the latter pushing the former's wheelchair. He seemed to be a little irritated about it, but it seemed like he was tolerating it for her. She on the other hand seemed to be as happy as Nanako had ever seen her. This sight made Nanako grin. They clearly cared about each other and their history together was clearly written on their faces. Yuuta arrived next and looked exhausted. Nanako could see that he had already been working through the night to make money. Miwa showed up escorting Takeyoshi from his home. The same outrageous sunglasses on his face and his clear distaste for the world around him. Meanwhile, Miwa looked like she was exaggerating excitement to try to get him to be more open to leaving his house on his own whims. The group was finally completely here.

"So, there has been another disappearance?" Shiho asked as the group settled in around the table.

Nanako answered, "Yes, it happened at the Train Station."

"Last night?" Shima asked.

"Correct," Nanako mentioned.

"So," Takeyoshi started, "it was Yo-chan then?"

"Affirmative."

Miwa then stated, "And we are going to be two people down?"

"Yup," Nanako said starting to get a little uncomfortable with all these questions being asked about stuff that she thought was already pretty clear. "Are we all on the same page now?"

"Question: Do we have any idea what we might encounter when we go after Yo-chan?" Takeyoshi asked. The group was kind of quiet in the face of this question.

Nanako shrugged. "We really never have much of an idea what we are going to encounter when we come after those who have been taken. I mean the only thing we called about your situation was that it would take place in an altered version of the Okina Courthouse where your parents' divorce was finalized," Nanako admitted. An awkward breeze blew through the group. "Otherwise no chance on a pre-warning."

"Now that you have finally gotten a question you could say no to, can I ask some 'non-yes or no' questions?" Takeyoshi asked impatiently. Nanako shuddered at how accurately he could read some people. She nodded. "Ok, so you guys summon your Personas and then fight shadows right? How do you guys know how to do that?"

Shiho answered, "Well it wasn't really like we had to learn, really. It was more of that the ideas just kinda came to us. Or at least that was what it was like for me."

"Ditto," Yuuta added.

"So what does it mean if my Persona has given me no information on how to fight?" Takeyoshi asked again.

Miwa replied, "Well your Persona did not look like a fighter. Maybe it has different powers?"

"Like…?"

"Thinking… stuff," Miwa said half heartedly. "Teach you had to screw? I dunno, why you asking me?"

"I," Takeyoshi started off-balance, "am done talking to you about this. Anyone else?"

Yuuta suddenly exclaimed, "You are our supercomputer back-up like in Featherman! When we have trouble, you feed us information about the enemy. When we encounter the unknown, you give us hope. And when it is time for us to kick butt, you give us power!"

Takeyoshi looked at Yuuta for a moment and then to Nanako and his two upperclassmen, "Any ideas?"

Shima shrugged. "Yuuta-kun's makes sense to me," he said.

"Yeah I am on board with that," Nanako added. "Anything else, anyone?"

Shiho and Shima both shook their heads. "If that is all, I better get this grump somewhere else then," Shiho said gesturing over to Shima. He looked like he wanted to say something but took it well and let her have her fun. The two of them left together. The underclassmen all sat together.

"So, before we get going. Nanako, we should talk to Takeyoshi and Yuuta about the box," Miwa said trying to be a little bit sly.

Takeyoshi however caught on immediately responded, "You are referring to the friendship box correct? The one that you and Nanako-chan kept? The one has stuff in it that important to our little friend group before my unfortunate accident?"

"Is that what we are calling it?" Yuuta asked still not impressed by Takeyoshi writing him off earlier. "I thought we were calling it the Psychotic Break? Mental Shutdown? Brain Malfunction? Tell me when to stop."

"Come up with one more," Takeyoshi challenged.

"Um, uh," Yuuta struggled. "Lobe Lambasting?" Takeyoshi was impressed. He handed over 1000 Yen. "Sweet," Yuuta cheered for himself.

Nanako and Miwa waited for their little moment to end and then Nanako finally spoke up, "So yes, that box. What we wanted to do was run an idea by you guys since the box was kinda as much yours as it was ours. After we get Yo-chan back, we were thinking about getting together and repurposing the box for all of us, including our senpai. That way we can all get a new start together."

"Sure," Yuuta said. "I think Shiho-senpai would probably like it more than Shima-senpai but it might be nice to give us all a creative output in these times."

Takeyoshi added, "Sure, on one condition. We must all agree on what the first item we add to the box will be, before we add anything else. And that does include Shima-senpai. If we are gonna make this a group project then I steadfastly refuse to carry this project on my back like a school project."

Nanako and Miwa liked the idea. "Deal," Miwa said. The group all sat around for a while longer and they just enjoyed each other's company. Miwa had to leave with Takeyoshi who decided he needed to go home. Nanako and Yuuta were the last to leave.

"Nanako-chan, thank you again. My mom is starting to get a little better. But hopefully I just need to work a little extra hard for a few more nights and we should be all good. Are you sure you will be ok two members down?" Yuuta asked her.

Nanako just smiled and said, "It is fine, Yuuta-kun. We have done this so much already. Practically experts by now."

* * *

That night, Takeyoshi, Miwa, Shiho, and Nanako all arrived at Shima's house as it was still a place they were comfortable using to enter the Mirror World and was still the closest of all their houses. When they arrived, the found a ramp had been set up at the steps of the house and at the top of that ramp was Shima.

"Hey," Shima said as they approached. "So, when your ready we'll go up."

Miwa however decided to address the elephant in the room and asked, "So how do you go up the stairs to your room?" Nanako looked at her with what could almost be described as the most confused and slightly outraged look on her face.

Shima however wrote it off with a simple, "I climb them. Oh, Nanako. Here is the hair tie she bought me. Maybe if she feels like I sent you she'll be more open to letting you help. She really misses you guys even if she has resigned herself to being alone."

"Probably would have been easier if you could have come with us," Takeyoshi said matter-of-factly. "If I had to guess, us going alone could also make her Shadow even more mad since Nanako-chan has revealed that you kinda planted the seed for her to play the Mirror Game in the first place."

Shima shrugged.

Shiho however was quite a bit less pessimistic about the matter. "If it means getting to rekindle her friendship with her childhood friends, I think Yo will be a whole lot more accepting of that fact," Shiho suggested.

"One can hope," Miwa commented.

The group followed Shima inside. There was a brief moment of anticipation for everyone but Shima and Takeyoshi as the three girls were rather curious about how he was going to climb up to his room. Using his good leg and half hopping and half climbing up them, it was actually rather mundane. The group followed up after him and into his room. Nanako noticed that his guitar was now on his bed. A small smirk found itself on her lips. The four adventurers passed through the mirror and they found themselves on the other side. The group passed through the Mirror Version of Shima's house and out into Inaba proper. They all very quickly realized that finding Yo-chan was not going to be all that difficult as spotlights and lasers seemed to be rhythmically from the direction of the Train Station.

"Well, that's not a surprise," Takeyoshi commented idly as his eyes began to take on a strange blue hue.

"Takeyoshi-kun?" Miwa asked.

"Persona!" Takeyoshi suddenly called out. "Interesting… I think Yuuta-kun may not have been too far off about my abilities. As bizarre as that comment may seem. Looking around I am seeing a whole lot more than I was just a moment ago.

" _Of course, my intellect is vast and my vision is as all encompassing as the sky above you. Now my intellect is yours, young one."_

"I see. Thank you, Coeus," Takeyoshi said to his Persona. "So let us see, I am sensing quite a few powerful shadow pressences around here. Yo-chan obviously, but also 7 others. They seem to be wandering aimlessly around this Mirror World."

"The reflections maybe?" Shiho offered.

"7 of them?" Miwa added.

Nanako thought about it. "We know that two of them are based on Teddie and Kanji. Could the rest of them also be my Big Bro's friends?" she asked.

Takeyoshi however seemed to be focusing on something, "There is more. I don't know what some of these things are, but I will keep it on looking at it when I have free time. Shall we get going then?"

The group made their way across Mirror Inaba and with Takeyoshi on navigation they did not even run into the minor enemies. However during this time, Miwa began to get other concerns. "Do we really think we can do this with only three combatants? I mean, Shima's Shadow messed us up pretty bad," Miwa commented as they approached the Night Club that had replaced the train station. Shiho's attention was focused at this point since she had not heard too much about the previous excursions into the Mirror World and had only participated in one previously.

"Shima's shadow was also the precursor to a battle heavy Persona," Takeyoshi commented. "My point being is that I am pretty sure any competency from battle that it had probably came from Shima himself. I have been doing some research on Psychology. I had heard the term persona before at some point or another and it originates in that particular field of study."

Nanako was perhaps the most interested in the turn conversation had taken as probably the second most booksmart person of the group. "What did you find out?"

"And here I was thinking you would never ask," Takeyoshi commented sarcastically. He knew someone like Nanako could not resist that kind of bait of knowledge. "This concept during this particular era of psychological understanding was established by one Carl Jung. He founded the concept of Analytical Psychology and quite a few terms that we are familiar with in this world are directly related to his work, believe it or not. For instance, the term Persona was coined to be used as a representation of the idea of wearing a social mask. So specifically, the version of ourselves that we actively express to those in our immediate environment. Another term I ended up finding had origins in this school of thought was the term Shadow. And this one was a doozy. To put it succinctly, the Shadow refers to any part of us that is unconscious or not an active part of our active identity. So does it surprise anybody that our hidden parts are the things our Shadows most actively decide to focus on. It was by mere coincidence that I found out about another term however. It is most commonly used in conjunction with the observation of narcissism."

Nanako realizing that he was wanting some kind of indication that someone was still listening asked, "Which term would that be?"

"True Self," Takeyoshi answered immediately. "While there was some minor overlap between Jungian Psychology and this concept, the most interesting thing that I found was that when our Shadow's claimed that they were the 'true self' the were basically stating that they were all of the person they represented. If the world was not seeing our dark sides, then we're denying them. The worse we denied them, the greater their power grew and the more they would separate from us. Or to simplify, they were the pieces of our Persona that we hid, which is why we did not have the power we have now, until after we accepted them and resolved to live as whole beings. Because that was the primary focus of Jungian Psychology, it was like a psychoanalysis version of finding oneness."

Miwa seemed to have a question but was not given an opportunity to ask when the group saw the entity they knew would be the shadow version of their target.

"Well! If it isn't my old friends," Yo declared almost sarcastically, not even looking at them as they approached. Her appearance however was the thing that caught the attention of everyone there. Her outfit seemed to be split right down the middle. The left side of her body was a scantily clad clubbing outfit including a bolero style black jacket with neon blue trim, over what seemed to be a neon blue sports bra and nothing else. There also was what appeared to be half of a glowing music note emblem on the back of her jacket was continued down and looked almost embedded in her bare back. White shorts, perhaps shorter than anyone's parents would be comfortable over fishnet tights. However, this was directly juxtaposed by a dark black cloak-like jacket that hung from the shoulder and revealed long black pants. The shoes seemed to be identical on either side following the same coloring scheme of her left side jacket, however the right side's hood covered her whole head.

"Yo-chan," Nanako uttered in almost disbelief at the person before her. Not only did Takeyoshi call it, but she had really changed over the last year. When Yo-chan's shadow turned around the left side of her face was put together like it should be going to club. The right side however was darker, tear stained mascara and lightly smeared lipstick. The kind one might see on someone who had been recently kissing someone with a full makeup on. Her hair seemed to be two toned. The left side blue and the right red. As she spoke, her right eye seemed to glow in time with her words.

"Is that really all you have to say to me, Nanako Dojima?" the shadow asked, taking a rather offended tone. "After all this time? Sure it has been barely more than a year. But a year can feel like a lifetime when you spend it as alone as I have. Look, come to the party or don't. I don't care." The shadow turned and made her way inside the club.

Miwa stepped forward as if to chase after her, but hesitated at the steps. "She seems completely different," Miwa observed sadly.

"Shima said that she seems to miss you guys. If these feelings are to be believed then a part of her must feel abandoned. We will have to appeal to her desire to be friends with your group again. Let her know that she is as accepted in your eyes as she was back before all this happened," Shiho told the three younger high school students. "Afterall, chances are that nobody knew her like you three. I will help in any way I can."

These words seemed to bolster the confidence of the group as they finally made their way within the threshold of the club's entrance. Looking around, the halls they found themselves within seemed to share the same duality of their creator. On the left, it looked like the entrance to a club. Mood lighting, aesthetic decorations, and all the normal bells and whistles that made entering a club interesting and just made you feel pumped for whatever was happening on the far end. However, the other side was the same club entrance but its lights were off. The decorations were tattered, broken or just plain missing, and the type of atmosphere felt more like the type of place that had been long since abandoned. As they made their way through they found themselves at a door. Like the shadow, the emblem was half present on the door. The other half of the door looked desolate. Nanako took the hair tie from her pocket and put it around her wrist for safe keeping, then she threw open the door.

Inside the room they found themselves in what felt like a large maintenance room. Cleaning supplies, an electricity switchboard, and what seemed to be some kind of water pump or water heater all located in this immediate room. The four of them all looked around and it was not until Takeyoshi gasped that any of them realized what it was that they were meant to find.

"Hey," Takeyoshi said aloud getting the attention of his three allies. "I will fully admit that I am no expert on the subject… but is that what I think it is?" He pointed down at his lace-y discovery. Miwa, Nanako, and Shiho all walked over as curious as one could be considering that Takeyoshi was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of whatever it was that he had found. All three of them immediately felt their hearts sink when they saw it.

Shiho especially seemed to be taken aback as it was sight that she did not want to see again in a dark back room like this. "Th-th-those are... " Shiho trailed off as dark memories began to flood her mind.

"Discarded," Miwa commented. "I had heard the rumors that she was… active. Y'know, like that. But this is…" Before she could find the will to finish, a familiar voice filled the air around them.

" _I knew it was a mistake the moment it was over. How could it have not been a mistake? I was a soon to be high schooler, he was about to be a third year. But at the time, I didn't care. I needed something to fill the emptiness I was feeling. At that time, I thought it needed to be something physical. By the time school started, practically every guy in the third and second years knew about my first time screw. Let's just say, I received a lot of… requests. I suppose I should have just been grateful that it did not result in anything else, but still… if I had felt lonely before, this only made it worse. But this is what I get for finding myself on the wrong side of my friends' emotional walls, now isn't it?"_

Nanako gasped and fell to her knees. "Yo-chan," she said trying to hold back sobs. "I never wanted to make you feel like you were not wanted."

However, Miwa walked over to her, kneeled down, and said, "Nanako, there was nothing we could have done. Had she just asked us about it we could have told her that everything between us was fine. It isn't like we did anything to actively push her away."

"But we didn't reach out to her," Nanako replied, now weeping. "We didn't push her away, but it isn't like we fought to keep her near either."

"Nanako-chan, Miwa-chan! We have a problem," Takeyoshi called out to them. They both turned to see him looking over at Shiho would looked like she was close to having some kind of a panic attack.

"Oh no, Shiho-senpai!" Nanako exclaimed. Her sadness over Yo-chan needed to take a back seat for a moment.

Takeyoshi looked on and asked, "What is wrong with her?"

Nanako rushed over to her and began trying to calm her down. So Miwa answered, "Shiho has a history with dark rooms like this. It was part of what she was dealing with deep down."

"Shiho," Nanako said to her. Shiho's eyes were wide with fear, but it looked like she was not seeing Nanako. No, she was looking right through her as she was now lost in the past. "We need to get her out of here. She has completely shut down."

"But then we will be down three people. We have never only had two people fighting," Miwa said nervously.

Nanako shook her head and replied, "With Shiho like this, it would still be the same, Miwa. She cannot go into danger like this."

"Nanako's right. We take her back to the mirror, send her home. If we have to then we come back another night," Takeyoshi added.

Nanako shook her head again. "No, I cannot leave Yo-chan here. Not surrounded by this. I cannot let her feel like we have abandoned her again," Nanako retorted. "We send her home and then we come right back her. Yo-chan is leaving here tonight."

The three underclassmen worked together to guide Shiho out of the club. Takeyoshi once again navigated them flawlessly back to Shima's house in the Mirror World. As the approached, Shiho seemed to be finally coming back to her senses, though she was still completely spooked.

"Wh-what happened? Did we get her?" Shiho asked as she came back to reality.

"Not yet," Miwa answered. "You started having flashbacks and you completely froze up. We are sending you back and then we will finish saving Yo-chan."

"What? Just the three of you?" Shiho argued. But they were not having it.

"Shiho-senpai," Nanako said to her quietly, but firmly. "I am not going to subject you to your worst nightmares. But I am not leaving Yo-chan here. We have to do this." The led her back up to the mirror version of Shima's room and guided her into the Mirror.

Back in reality, Shima had not left his perch next to the mirror in his room. Suddenly, Shiho stepped out of the mirror alone. "Shiho? What happened? Where are the others?" he asked her.

"They are going on alone," Shiho said as tear began welling up in her eyes. She seemed to lose her balance and Shima reached out to her and guided her to a sitting position next to him at the end of the bed. "Shima, it was so terrible. We found Yo-chan's nightclub nightmare. Inside we found, d-d-discarded panties in a room. I couldn't help focusing on them and when I did, I was right back in that janitor closet with Kamoshida." Shiho's breath was ragged and her tears became accentuated with sobs. Shima wrapped his arms around her and simply held her as she cried into his chest.

"You're alright," he said as soothingly as he could. "I promise, I will never let anything like that happen to you again. I will make sure that you never have to fear that." As he held her, his thoughts began running at a million miles a minute. Nanako, Miwa, and Takeyoshi were alone in there. They would need support. As her tears calmed, he let her go and then began fishing around the side of his bed and began preparing to put on his prosthetic.

"Shima?" Shiho asked with uncertainty. "Are you doing what I think your doing?"

"They are going to need back up. I can't sit idly by and let them go in there alone," Shima told her as he slipped on a sock over the end of his leg stump. He flinched in pain when the sock dragged against the tender spot at the point where he would be resting his weight.

"But, if it gets worse, you could lose more of it couldn't you?" Shiho replied.

"How do you-?"

"I looked it up after you announced that you had been medically ordered to stay off of it. I needed to know what it meant for you," Shiho replied. "Figured you wouldn't be listening to those instructions if they weren't important. When I realized what it could mean for you and your leg, I knew then that I needed to make sure I kept you from trying to use it early."

"That's why you have been pushing me around all day?" Shima asked somewhat shocked. Shiho nodded. He looked down at his leg and realized that she had cared so deeply about his condition that she had looked up information on how to help him with it. He looked at her and she was looking at her feet almost as if she was ashamed of what she did. Shima suddenly reached out, guided her gaze to his and then leaned forward. In a moment that surprised both of them, he kissed her. It was quick, no more than five seconds. But to both of them it could have been five hours for all they knew in that moment. Both of them blushing deeply he finally said, "Thank you." He then reached into his pocket and fished out his cellphone. "I have an idea. Think I could borrow your contacts list?"

Nanako, Miwa, and Takeyoshi found themselves back outside the club.

"I hope she will be ok," Nanako wondered out loud.

"Shiho-senpai will be fine," Takeyoshi answered matter-of-factly. "Shima may be some kind of rough and tumble delinquent, but for her he would probably fight the owner of the Tatsumi Textiles shop in a fist fight. They get each other like I have only seen two people dedicated to each other can. Let's just focus on the matter at hand."

The three of them entered the club again. They quickly made their way through the first hallway and then walked straight through the room that they had to turn away from previously. Passing through into the next hall they marched on through until they found a second door. Within the room on the far side of it, they found themselves in a train car and it looked like it was racing down some tracks.

" _Shima-kun said something interesting to me. Something that seemed to really mean something to him and to be honest, the way he said it made me want to believe it. 'You know, I hear that waiting for someone to save you is only a temporary fix.' It made me wonder if maybe that is what was wrong with all of us, you know? All of us were just waiting to be saved like Nanako had been. Maybe we were expecting it. But what if we are too far gone? Too far gone from a life worth saving? Maybe I should just go for one last big night and then… well who knows what my next adventure would be like. Not like anyone has comeback to tell us about it,"_ the voice of Yo said out loud in the train car.

"Was she really thinking about that?" Takeyoshi asked aloud. "Yo-chan, felt so alone that she was on the verge of desiring death? Had I not been so paranoid about her wellbeing, we might not have sent Shima to her. If we hadn't reached out to her, she might have tried to end her life before she ever tried the Mirror Game."

"Did he know about this too?" Nanako wondered aloud. "Maybe he recognized what was broken because he had lived with it himself."

"Maybe, or maybe we were all just really lucky," Miwa commented. "Let's save her. Now."

The three moved to the far end of the train car and as they threw open the door they found themselves on a dancefloor. On the dance floor was the shadow version of Yo Misaka dancing along to what the group could only describe as noise. Not in that old person complaining about the music the young people are into, no whatever was playing had no rhythm, no melody, and even lacked any kind of distinct instrumentation. It literally was just noise. However, the shadow was dancing like there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile, the group could look up and see that up in the DJ Booth looking both frightened and like she had not slept in hours, was their Yo. Her blue hair however did seem to be two-toned now. If she had noticed it, it had long since past where that was her primary concern.

"Yo-chan!" Nanako called up to her. "We're here. You are going to be fine!"

The music suddenly came to a screeching halt. The Shadow stopped mid-dance step and then seemed to rotate towards the team without even taking her feet off the ground. "Well, well, well. Not gonna lie, Nanako-chan. It feels good hearing my name coming out of your mouth so loudly and passionately. But what can I say, I have always been willing to swing both ways for a cheap thrill," the shadow taunted.

Nanako shook her head. "Yo-chan! Please listen to me, I know you might be embarrassed by this. But we don't judge you! We all miss you so much. Please, know that!" Nanako called up to her friend again.

"Oh puh-leeese! You really expect to me to believe that after more than 12 months of radio silence. And Takeyoshi… to think my life got ruined because of your fragile little mind. Not to mention that you Miwa never even took the time to think for yourself about leaving Nanako's side. You trying to swing for her?" The shadow taunted again.

Yo started pounding on the glass up above, "Shut up! Stop talking to them like that!"

"Why?!" The shadow version of her bellowed as she turned to face herself. "What had they done to receive any kind decent treatment. They abandoned us! They turned away from us when we needed them most! Why do they deserve anything other than the worst treatment possible!"

"Shut up!" Yo screamed. "Don't say that shit like you know me! You know nothing about me! You could never be me!"

The shadow grinned a deep grin. "You are right. I am just me now!" Almost as if in time, darkness swelled around the shadow version of Yo at the same time the same noise from before continued to play and the group braced themselves to avoid being pushed back by the force of the energy around them.

As the energy began to recede the group found themselves in confronted by perhaps the most intimidating of the enemies Nanako had seen. Yo's shadow had taken on the giant form of a woman who wore robe half on simply covering her bottom half. The robe was made of wind and lightning. Across her top half was a sequence of leather belts that did very little to actual cover the entity before them. The horizontal straps just barely covering her chest but leaving plenty of viewing room to completely remove any kind of obscurity of her form. However her burning red eyes were the thing that demanded the most attention as they seemed to be exposed through cracks through the side of her head. They seemed to glow in time with her words just like before.

"I am a shadow. The true self. With the power of Clymene, Titaness of Fame and Infamy, I will rebel against those who created my current reputation. Starting with all of you!" Shadow Yo cried out.

"Uh… guys," Takeyoshi started. When Nanako and Miwa looked back at him they found he already had his Persona at the ready. "This thing doesn't seem to have any kind of weaknesses. No matter what we hit it with, it is all gonna hit for just about the same amounts of damage."

Nanako looked back at the enemy. "Fine, we do this the hard way. Come, Persona!"

"Persona!" Miwa called out. Both Themis and Rhea appeared beside their summoners.

" _Another of the Titans corrupted. Why do I even bother being surprised anymore?"_ Themis remarked. Themis pulled her hammer up to a battle ready position. Rhea without comment brought her staff to hand. Themis dashed forward and with heavy swing tried to bring down her opponent by sweeping the legs. The large shadow simple jumped over the attack and lashed out with her foot. Themis dodged the attack but Rhea took the brunt of it.

"Ok, that was weird. She seemed to be trying to predict your moves and dedicating herself to performing counter attacks. Try to aim center mass. She'll have the hardest time moving out of the way of attacks there," Takeyoshi advised.

Rhea's staff took on a colorful hue and Nanako along with her Persona took on a Red, then a Blue, then a Green hue. "Try this," Miwa said to Nanako.

Nanako had her Persona charge forward again this time moving faster than she had before towards the enemies chest. The attack was successful the enemy was pushed backwards against the back wall. However, the counter attack still came and Nanako felt the brunt of it as she could not get Themis out of the way in time.

"Why do I feel like she is hitting us a whole lot harder than we are hitting her?" Nanako asked holding her head.

Rhea's staff began to glow again soon followed a by a storm of ice and the shadow felt itself beginning to slow down in the ice storm. Nanako and Miwa were able to keep their Persona's from feeling the brunt of this shadow's counter attacks this time. Suddenly, the cloak around the enemy's waist whipped a heavy wind storm that threatened to blow both the Persona users away. The shadow then did a quick spinning kick and the distracted Persona users stood no chance in trying to dodge the incoming attack. Themis and Rhea were both sent flying backwards. Nanako and Miwa followed suit. Struggling to her feet, Nanako started having doubts about coming here with so few people.

"Come on, get up! Or am I not worth bringing your "A" game?" the shadow taunted. Miwa also struggled to her feet. Looking up she saw that the enemy had reached out to grab the two Personas and began squeezing them. Nanako and Miwa both fell to the ground screaming out in pain.

"Yo-chan! Stop this!" Takeyoshi called out. The shadow looked at him, amused. "I understand your hurting. But it isn't going to make you feel better to hurt others. I would know, I did that to all of you for over a year and I was still miserable."

"Shut it!" The shadow yelled. "You don't care about me! You never cared about me!" The shadow got ready to swing her leg at Takeyoshi. A light suddenly burst through the door to the room and when the Shadow swung her leg forward, it met a resistance she had not been expecting. "What is it now?!"

"Yo-chan, it is time to stop!" shouted a familiar voice from out in the hall. When the dust settled, standing in front of Takeyoshi and his Persona was Hyperion. His chariot wheel shield having absorbed the brunt of the attack. Walking into the room from behind him was Yuuta.

"Yu...uta," Nanako barely managed to say as she was writhing on the ground.

Yuuta looked up at the shadow and then looked past it to Yo-chan who was seeing everything that was happening below her with terrified eyes. "Hyperion, help me up there," Yuuta commanded. The Persona grabbed the boy and took off into the air. As he flew up, he swiped at the hands of the shadow forcing it drop the two Personas it had in its grasp. Then, Hyperion balanced Yuuta on his shield and held him up in front of the DJ Booth.

"Yuuta-kun, you- your- how-" Yo tried to say between terrified gasps for air.

"Yo-chan, please just listen," Yuuta said to her. "It is ok to hurt. We understand. Everything that has happened here has been a side effect of all the shit we have all had to deal with. If you can find it within yourself to accept that this darkness is there in you, we can all work together to deal with our personal demons. We're friends. And while we haven't been doing a very good job at being there for you, we want to be there for you now. All four of us, and our Senpai. Both Shima-senpai and Shiho-senpai want to be there for you too. If it were not for circumstances outside our control they would have been here too."

Nanako between bouts of trying to keep the shadow somewhat in line listened in to what Yuuta was saying. When he mentioned the upperclassmen Nanako remembered the hair tie around her wrist. She lifted her arm as she yelled, "Yo-chan, Shima sent us after you. Look! This is the hair tie you purchased for him, right? He wanted you to know that even though he could not come and save you himself, he still only wanted to see you safely home."

Yo looked down at Nanako and saw the hair tie. Looking back at Yuuta she saw someone she did not quite recognize. When did Yuuta become this… cool? All of them seemed to have grown up so much during their time apart. What happened to them? Did this happen to them, too? She then looked at her shadow and yelled, "Stop it! Please, I won't deny you anymore. Just don't hurt them!"

The shadow turned around and floating up as it seemed to begin shrinking in size. "Why do you protect them now?" the shadow demanded.

"You have protected me for too long," Yo said to her shadow sadly. "Hey, I am sorry I made you suffer because I was too weak to face the world alone. But we don't have to be alone anymore. Together, we can set our friends right and continue looking like total badasses while we do it. It was not fair to either of us, but what is even less fair is for us to deny them forgiveness when they have done so much to try and make up for it here. Let us give them the second chance that they are giving us, huh?"

The glass between them vanished as the shadow returned to normal size. The shadow landed down in front of her sitting down on the turntable that had been between them and it returned to looking that way it did before. "Promise? No more in-fighting?" the shadow asked.

Yo smiled at her other self and hugged her. "Uh, for you good lookin'? Anything," she said goofily. Her shadow seemed to get teary eyed as is began to glow. Appearing before her now was a Persona clad in a blue cloak over what seemed to be some pretty punk looking clubbing attire. It was a perfect match to Yo's personality.

"I am Mnemosyne, Titaness of Memory and Remembrance. With my power, you will learn to keep in mind the most important things, and let those memories help shape the person you are meant to become, be learning from the person you once were," the Persona said to the young lady in front of it. Yo took on a blue glow as the Persona disappeared and reunited with her.

"Lovers Arcana..."

"Yo-chan," she heard Yuuta say. Looking up at him on his glowing chariot wheel, she saw his hand extended. "Let's take you home." Yo took his hand and let herself be carried down by Yuuta's Persona. When they got down to ground level, Nanako and Miwa both rushed over to her as well as their tired bodies could and they wrapped their arms around her. Even Takeyoshi who was not known for a being a touchy-feely person walked over and joined in on the group hug. After more than a year, their group had finally reunited.

After they broke the hug, they began leading Yo back out of the Mirror World. Nanako however had to ask, "Yuuta, what are doing here? What about your work?"

"Yeah, I thought you needed the cash to cover for while your mom was feeling ill," Miwa added.

"I did, but without worrying about tonight's rescue mission I was able to really focus on my work. In fact I was so focused, I finished my quota early. As I started getting a head start on more of the work, I got a phone call from Shima-senpai. I did not think he actually had my number, but there he was calling me. He told me that you guys were headed in an additional member down and that I needed to go back you up. He wanted to come himself, but with the infection threatening his leg, he could not come in after you," Yuuta explained.

Nanako laughed a little. "Well then, I guess we will have to thank him with a day pushing him around in his wheelchair," she joked.

Takeyoshi letting the joke go over his head retorted, "He barely tolerates Shiho-senpai doing that. What chance do you think we have?"

"She's kidding, Takeyoshi-kun," Yuuta said deadpanned.

"I am sure she is," Takeyoshi replied sarcastically.

Yo listened to this back and forth. She just gave a tired smile as she listened to the people who meant the most to her talk. Their voices sounded just like they used to and for the first time in more than twelve months, she felt at peace.

The group arrived back Shima's house in the Mirror World. They walked into the building and when got up to the room, they found Shiho sitting on the bed just inside the Mirror World.

"Shiho-senpai? What's wrong? Are you ok?" Nanako asked rushing over to her.

Shiho looked at her and nodded. "I am doing better. Shima's mother seems to be up and about, because she tried to come into the room while we waited for you guys. Shima had me hide in here until he could get rid of her," Shiho explained why she was there.

"Teenage boy hiding a teenage girl?" Yo joked sleepily. "Sounds like young love to me."

This made Shiho blush heavily as she seemed to suddenly be unable to make eye contact with any of them. This caught Miwa's attention. "Shiho-senpai… did something happen while we were away?" Miwa asked slyly. Nanako's eyes went wide when she realized what Miwa was insinuating.

Nanako turned to Yuuta and Takeyoshi and began ushering them out, "Give us some room, we need girl time."

"What? Why?" Yuuta complained for a moment.

Takeyoshi had accepted his fate and simply said, "Hey Yuuta, want to learn about Jungian Psychology?"

The four girls found themselves alone now and Nanako was ready with a question, "What happened after we left you here?"

Shiho, still blushing, explained, "Well, Shima saw how upset I was and he held me to calm me down. After I started regaining my composure, he started getting ready to come after you all. I stopped him, because I know that if an infection gets bad enough, especially on a limb that had been previously amputated that it could need further removal. When Shima realized that I looked up this information for him, he uh… kissed me. It was really sweet."

"Aw, that is so cute!" Yo suddenly declared in her tired slur. She moved forward and gave her a hug. "Y'know, you got yourself a good one."

"We really need to get this one home," Miwa commented. Shiho just nodded as she hugged the tired Yo.

Shima's head soon came through the mirror and he was surprised to see the increased size of the people here. "Alright, come on through, you'll need to go straight through the house out the front though. I don't trust my mom to not come back again," he said in a hurry. Miwa fetched Takeyoshi and Yuuta and the group made their way through the house into the night air. Shima followed them back downstairs and sat down in his wheelchair. He followed them out to see them all off.

"Shima-kun," Yo complained tiredly, "when we hung out on Saturday you didn't mention that you had a girlfriend."

"To be fair," Shima replied in as gentle of a tone he could must, "I didn't have one then. If I made it seem like I was trying to make more of our day together I will apologize now."

"Aw it's alright," Yo replied.

"Get home safe for me, would ya?" Shima said to her.

Nanako and Miwa however answered for her and said, "She will."

Yuuta looked over at Takeyoshi and said, "Need help getting home?"

Takeyoshi considered the risks of trying to go home alone at this hour and then said, "Please."

Shiho saw them all off and then looked back at Shima. "Shima, I guess this is goodnight then?" she asked.

"I guess."

Shiho hurried up the steps to him and gave him a kiss. "Goodnight, Shima," she said sweetly and then scurried away. Shima just sat there blushing until he finally turned around and headed back inside.

* * *

 **Post Chapter Note: Thank you once again for all your patience. I hope you are enjoying the story as much as I have been in writing it. Hope you liked that little look into the adult lives of Naoto and Kanji. While that section probably could have been removed for space, I did not want to deny you guys more Investigation Team time in a less antagonist light.**


	14. Chapter 14: Welcome To My Life

**Author's Note: Hey guys! So welcome to the party dealing with some real world problems. One of my favorite aspects of Persona is the balance of real life and the supernatural. It may slow down a little in pace for the story, but there is going to be some good stuff building up. However, the group is going to have to come to some social problems since they have members who are troublemakers (Shima), social outcasts (Shiho, Yo), and the bullied (Takeyoshi, Yuuta). They will have to learn to rely on each other in this world as well as the other.**

 **However, do not worry. Trouble from the Mirror World is not far on the horizon. Thank you for coming around.**

* * *

Yo's recovery seemed to be the slowest of all of them. She was long term bedridden and seemed to be prone to various forms of emotional imbalance. Much like Shiho, the members of the team took turns in visiting her to keep an eye out for her over the following two weeks. They had yet to hear of another incident since. The three most common visitors she had were Nanako, Miwa, and Shima. Nanako and Miwa felt like it was good for them to visit to start rekindling a broken friendship. Shima seemed to get the most reaction out of her over their time together.

Today was Shima's turn and, with hair tied back with the hair tie that she had bought him, he sat down on a couch in her room as he waited for her to need anything. He looked around her room at the various posters, CDs, and a couple of musical instruments. She seemed to be really into music, which was not too surprising for him considering her club life. What did surprise him though was the sheer amount of American Rock and Metal she had represented in her room. Tons of different sub-genres found representation in her sizeable music collection. Shima heard her stir from her rest and when he looked over at her she was watching him.

"So, you like music?" Yo asked him weakly.

Shima nodded. "Over longer holidays, I work for a music shop in the shopping district," Shima told her. "The owner there is a bit of an audiophile both in the technical sense and musical taste sense. He made it his mission to get me into decent music if I was going to work there with him."

"Ah, that's the place with the guy that missing two of his fingers, right?" Yo said, making sure they were talking about the same place.

Shima replied, "Yup that is the place. Dead Beats. He liked the name because it was the name of the band he had tried to start back in his youth before his accident. Had to re-learn the guitar, but apparently it never was the same for him. But he had acquired so much music over the years it just made sense to instead open a store dedicated to selling new and used music. CDs, Vinyls, and even some old tapes find their way into and back out of that place."

"Huh, sounds like you have gotten to know him well," Yo said stifling a yawn. "What's your favorite band?"

"Well for a while I was really into this group called Versailles *****. Not too into the whole visual kei subculture but the music was awesome. After my taste shifted more towards the west, I really got into the punk rock scene. So now, I would probably say the group I listen to the most right now is a band called The Offspring," Shima explained.

Yo found his general proficiency on the topic interesting to say the least. "Y'know I think I may have missed them. Could you show me some of their work?" she asked him. Her tone sounded like she was trying to be just a little cute to make him more likely to actually go into it more.

Shima scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I mean I could show you some of their stuff," he told her. He was not use to talking about his interests like this. The only other person he actually spoke to at all about music, besides his boss, was Shiho. Shima decided to show her a couple of songs using his phone and a pair of her headphones. Hopping over to her side as he was still short one prosthetic leg. After a couple of songs, Yo seemed to begin drifting off again.

"So, It is pretty good," she said sleepily.

Shima just looked at her as she started to fall asleep. "You get some rest, Yo," he told her quietly as she dozed off again. He hopped back to his place on the couch as quietly as he could. About an hour later, Nanako showed up to take over for him.

"She still sleeping?" Nanako asked as she came in.

Shima nodded. "She did wake up for a bit, we talked about music then she dozed off again," Shima reported.

"And how's your leg, Shima-senpai?" Nanako asked.

Shima shrugged and responded, "On the mend to say the least."

"Any updates on when you were will be better again?" she continued hopefully.

"If I keep being a good boy, it will be faster than my doctor was expecting. Shiho being so on the ball with me has kept me from irritating it during this treatment period so it is clearing up," Shima answered honestly.

"You kiss her again, yet?" Nanako teased.

Shima gave her a look and simply replied, "Have fun." He proceeded to hop past her.

"That's my line Senpai," Nanako teased further. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Shima proceeded to not justify that with an actual answer at that point as Nanako giggled at her own antics. All he did was half-heartedly wave. Nanako took her place on the couch. After a couple hours, Nanako found Yo stirring in her sleep. "Hey, Yo-chan? Are you ok?"

Yo finally seemed to wake up from whatever had been disrupting her peaceful sleep and her eyes focused on Nanako. "Nanako-chan," she said finally. She propped herself up into a sitting position to help maintain her focus. "Nanako-chan, I need to get something off my chest," Yo said sincerely to her friend.

"Please tell me it isn't your shirt," Nanako said awkwardly.

"What?" Yo asked confused.

Nanako shook her head and said, "Sorry. I've been developing a bad habit of making jokes to deal with awkwardly tense situations. What is it?"

"So, I need to just talk about my life recently. I don't know if I can keep shouldering it on my own," Yo said awkwardly. Nanako sat down and leaned over onto Yo's futon then when she was comfortable, signaled for Yo to talk when she was ready.

Yo was hesitant to get started. Like she was trying to organize her thoughts and had no idea where to start. Nanako decided to offer, "Why don't you start at the first thing you can remember changing after the uh, schism of our friend group?"

Yo nodded and seemed to relax a bit. "So, I began drinking whenever I could get my hands on the stuff about three months after the group split up. Official places would never sell to me of course. But I am resourceful. This was actually how I first got into contact with a particular scumbag in third year. He was a second year at that time, but for whatever reason he found a means to provide and so I became rather dependent on him to supply me with alcohol," Yo began. "It was shortly after that that I began to go clubbing. I found it was pretty easy to get at alcohol in clubs as long as you knew how to get in and find a way to get to tables before the staff did. So I ended up finishing a lot of people's drinks. I was rarely drunk though. Y'know, I figured out after the first time that I got drunk that hated the feeling, Well, I did like the buzz, so I got addicted to that feeling. Then the end of school break in the spring occured. That guy who had been supplying me started getting real friendly beyond just helping me get drinks. So, I decided to be friendly back. This continued for a solid week until we met up at that club. We uh, snuck off to that closet and I realized that something was wrong the second we did not fully undressed. The bond I thought I had with him was not the deep thing I had been hoping for. I realized that to him this was just going to be a transaction. I did not mind that so much. It was not until I realized that he shared that experience with others and that was when I realized the damage had been done. But, it isn't like I didn't want it, I just would have preferred that the aftermath didn't occur." Yo could felt the tears start and desperately did not want to cry in front of Nanako. But harder she fought it, the worse it seemed to get until she was just crying.

"Oh Yo-chan," Nanako said as she leaned forward and hugged her friend. "I am so sorry you went through all of that. I had no idea that our absence in your life had such an effect. If I thought it was going to hurt you that bad I would have never have let it happen."

"I resented you all for that, for the longest time. Maybe I still do a little deep down," Yo said to Nanako between sobs. "Y'know it wasn't fair to any of us. But I took it the hardest and I didn't ask you guys for help. I just wish my pride did not get in the way of asking for it."

Nanako fell silent as she listened to her friend's plight. "Who was it? Who was the guy?" Nanako asked.

Yo fell really quiet. Finally she answered, "His name is Kyoshi Yokono."

Nanako thought for a moment and realized why she recognized the name. "You mean the captain of the Soccer Team, Kyoshi Yokono?" Nanako clarified. Yo nodded. "Maybe we don't tell Shima. I know that he would immediately want to do some… damage."

"Why would he do that?" Yo asked still trying to finish composing herself.

Nanako it seemed did not learn her lesson the last time she spoke about Shima's past without his approval. "Shima used to be a soccer player. The players at the High School he went to, knew about him being some kind of rising star in the sport, so when he shows up missing a leg, he was ridiculed by them. He acted out so much that his parents had to transfer him to Inaba to get him out of the environment. I heard that it followed him a little bit but not nearly to the degree that is had been. Let's just say that he doesn't get along with that crowd anymore. Any given reason would be enough for him, I think," Nanako explained, based on what she knew about him and his personality.

"I keep forgetting," Yo said out loud. "I keep forgetting that all of this means that you all struggled with this type of stuff too."

"We all have our demons, you know?" Nanako told her. "I may not have had to deal with Shadow, it did not change the fact that all of this has come with a lot of baggage."

"That somehow doesn't surprise me," Yo commented. "You have always worn your heart on your sleeve. You never seem like the type of person who would deny that a part of yourself exists. Even if you have your secrets, you never let them interfere with you being who you are."

"Hey, thanks," Nanako said to Yo. "Yo-chan, can I ask you about something your Shadow said?"

"Umm, sure," Yo replied, pretty sure she knew where this question was going.

Nanako hesitated a moment at her tone. Finally she just mustered up the willingness to ask, "When your Shadow said that it would swing either way, would you say you're bi-sexual?"

"Umm," Yo started, "That is right. I kinda found out during our separation. Some of my nights of club debauchery were partnered up with men or women. When I realized that it did not matter to me was when it occurred to me why I found people like you just as attractive as I do people like Shima." Yo explained carefully and then covered her mouth. "I-I-I-I mean, not specifically you but y'know… also you, I guess."

Nanako blushed a little. "Well that is nice of you to say," she said awkwardly. "Anyway, how are you feeling? Shima mentioned that you woke up a little earlier and then fell back asleep pretty quickly."

"I am just a little overwhelmed with everything that happened. Also," she paused. "I may be going through some withdrawals from my short stint with alcoholism. It has been four days since my last drink. See?" She showed Nanako her hands were shaking pretty heavily. "I didn't drink much but symptoms of withdrawal have been kinda kicking my ass. Luckily, I haven't progressed to the second wave of symptoms after the first 24 hours so I should be fine once I get it all out of my system. Y'know, just ride the symptoms out."

"Oh," Nanako grabbed her hands and helped her steady them a little. "Well I do hope you start feeling better soon," Nanako told her. "I'll be here for a little longer but then I'll need to go home."

"Oh," Yo said quietly. "Nanako… would you maybe be willing to stay the n-n-night? I am just nervous to be alone again. Since I am awake now, I just wanted to know if you would be willing to stay near. Since I got taken by my reflection, I have just been a little paranoid." She mentally reprimanded herself for getting so flustered as to be so redundant.

"I'll call my dad and let him know. I may need to leave early though so I can go home and get ready for school in the morning," Nanako warned her. She stepped out of the room to call her father. But when she came back in she sat down next to Yo again so the two of them chatted for a while longer.

As Yo finally started to get drowsy again, Nanako realized that she managed to grab Yo's hands again at some point. She was just keeping her hands from shaking so she could sleep. At least that was the only reason Nanako could come up with that made sense. Nanako realized that at this point there was no way for her to leave without disturbing Yo, so she was stuck holding her hands and just tried to get comfortable next to the futon.

* * *

When Yo woke up she was a little disappointed to see that Nanako had already left. However, Yo looked at her hands as she remembered Nanako's hands there helping with the shakes. The shakes were really minor at this point. She looked at the clock and realized that it was almost 12:00 Noon. How was she sleeping so heavily? Was the withdrawals to blame? Her Shadow experience?

Yo sat alone on her futon as she thought about the events that led up to this moment. She started to try to organize her thoughts. Thinking about that night she was saved. Shiho had to be left behind for some reason. Something shook her, because Miwa mentioned needing to leave her back with Shima. Nanako was also really protective of her when they found her sitting inside the Mirror World. Which implied that she was supposed to come help save her originally. Why did she need to be left behind?

Moving along her memories she thought about her visit with Shima the previous day. He was into music. Maybe more than she was based on the way he spoke about it. He was a pretty cool dude. Really laid back with people when they are not on his bad side. Maybe Nanako had a point about not telling him about her times with the Soccer Team Captain. Between his past and his protectiveness, that could result in a bloodbath. Something just gave her the feeling that missing his leg was just the handicap other people needed. He never talked about how he lost it, now that she thought about it a bit more.

Her thoughts then went to Yuuta who showed up at the end of the fight. When did he get so cool? He has always just been just that weird nerdy kid that tagged along with their group. Mostly following Nanako around since she lived with that guy Yu, and he had been real fond of that guy. From what she pieced together over the conversations she has heard since she was saved, he was still into Featherman stuff, but he had been focused on working to support his step-mom while she was sick. That was pretty cool all on its own.

Takeyoshi apparently leaves his house now, though she had yet to see it outside of the rescue attempt. To think that a guy who became paralyzed by the idea of taking risks would go out and put himself in danger to save someone was interesting. Maybe that was the demon he was facing up to thanks to getting this power? Yo simply shook her head as she could never know until she got the chance to talk to him about it directly. He was apparently under the impression that she might has some kind of virus and was therefore not healthy enough to visit yet. Nanako had tried to convince him otherwise but apparently he has elected to wait until she went back to school.

Miwa was a bit of mystery to Yo, though. She was over often but it felt like she never really knew what to talk about when she was over. However, Miwa seemed to still be as easy going as she used to be. However, she seemed to be stuck somewhere in her head while she was thinking. Yo could remember that Miwa had problems with her parents' expectations. Even back then, she spent a lot of nights at the Dojima Residence. Yo remembered staying the night a few times, but Miwa was there a few time a week. It was impressive. Yo could fully admit to feeling a little left out back then.

Yo forced herself to get up off her futon, then made her way over to her window and looked outside. Placing her hand on the window she felt her hands shaking still and tried desperately to make them stop. Her mind went back to Nanako holding them still. "She was just trying to make me feel better. Keep your mind straight, Yo. Figuratively and metaphorically," she told herself. Looking back at her clock she found that it was already 2PM. She was losing time still which was something she was hoping would stop soon. But with it being so late, school would be letting out soon.

Finally, Yo got her head in order and decided that she needed to get some air. She put on a pair of loose fitting trousers and a t-shirt. Nothing showy or flashy today though when she looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she noticed that her hair was still two-toned like it was during her trip to the Mirror World. Duality was the only word she could think of to describe what her life had been like. A double life where in one she pretended to be happy and well adjusted. In the other, she continued to dig a hole that she was not sure she could ever climb out of, not on her own at least. Where in one she had to pretend that nothing was wrong and the other where she forced herself into practices that would let her temporarily forget the things that were wrong. She decided to put a beanie on to cover most of it, help put the topic out of her head. Taking her first tentative step out of the house she immediately felt like she was breathing normally again after a long time underwater. Was this really what the world looked like when you stayed sober? She stepped away from her door and decided to take a walk around the sleepy little town.

As she walked, she began noticing things that had just not been really catching her sight before. The new shops seemed to have inspired improvements from the older ones in the Shopping District as places like the bookstore and the liquor store looked like they got new paint jobs and updated signs. It looked like the Tofu shop was getting ready to close as its owner was readying for retirement. Leaving the shopping district behind she found herself up on a hill looking over the town.

"This place," she commented to herself. "It isn't so bad, is it?"

Looking down at her phone she realized that she had somehow been walking around for over an hour and it was 3:30 PM. The school would have been let out for nearly 15 minutes by now. Leaning against the fence she heard voices that sounded like they belonged to teenagers but she ignored them for the most part. At least she tried to until one of them said her name,

"Well would you look at that," she heard a familiar voice say. "The little alcohol pixie has made an appearance again. You are still looking good, Yo-chan."

Yo turned her attention to the owner of that voice. There he was in all of his arrogant and disgusting glory, Kyoshi Yokono. "Kyoshi-senpai, still preying on first years or have you grown a pair since then?" she asked harshly.

"I am still trying to remember the last time I saw you," he commented ignoring her biting commentary about his practices.

"Oh, now let me think. I think the last time we met was when I did your desperate ass a favor at the club. And I didn't even tell people that you cried when we were done, though it surprised me when that part of the story didn't end up being circulated around the school," Yo replied venomously. This even got a snicker out of some of the other soccer guys who followed their captain around.

Kyoshi seemed to actually get a little steamed about this and answered, "Means a lot coming from a drunken whore."

"Oh nice," Yo said as she began to walk away.

"Where you going? Sounds to me like this party is just getting started. Need me to get you drinks again?" Kyoshi asked snidely as he followed her down the hill.

Yo shook her head. "I already got addicted once because of you. I make a point to not repeat the same mistake twice. Especially when it comes to my disappointing dating history, which accounts for you and… no, just you. Only mistake I made," she replied.

"Alright, where is all this anger coming from? You came to me for drinks before and I was your life's hero," he said. "If anything you should be on your knees thanking me, if you get what I mean."

Yo did not like the direction that this conversation was taking. Looking forward she realized that she was close to the neighborhood. She need to get people nearby until she could get home. Putting a little bit of speed in her step she replied, "Yeah, I was also hurting and a real man would have recognized that. So there really isn't anything to thank you for in that case."

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Shima and Yuuta. If she could just get to them, then she should be fine. However when she was spun around to face Kyoshi, she realized she was not going to be able to get over to them.

"Now listen here, you bitch. You owe me, so if this is how you are going to act then I am just gonna have to punish you. You belong to me until that debt is paid," Kyoshi said angrily pinning her arms to her side. If it were not for the subtle squeak of a wheeled vehicle approaching at a fast rate, Yo would have felt completely alone and helpless. But when a Shima ridden, Yuuta pushed wheelchair slammed into Kyoshi and knocked him on his ass, Yo felt so much relief.

"Oops, sorry about that," Yuuta said apologetically to the person in the wheelchair. "Shima-senpai, I didn't mean to lose control like that. It was so good of Kyoshi-senpai to lend us use of his legs so we could stop."

Shima was trying his best to hide a smirk which was rightfully earned when Yuuta tried to make it look like he could not control the speed of a wheelchair on an almost flat road. He replied, "It is perfectly alright Yuuta. I would have done the same thing if it were me. You ok, Yo?"

"Um, I-I-I'm fine," she said. "Let's get you guys out of here so we can make sure this doesn't happen again, yeah?"

"Practice will make perfect," Yuuta said. "Thanks again for the assist there Kyoshi-senpai." The three of them began to leave when Kyoshi finally go back onto his feet.

"Oh, hell no!" Kyoshi yelled after them. "You are not just gonna walk away from the conversation, Yo-chan."

Shima stopped himself and turned about to face the angry third year. "Really, Kyoshi? Because I am pretty sure that is what she is doing. But look, if you want to make this a problem, I can always call someone about your aggressive approach to underage women in this prefecture. So, if you don't mind we have some walking away, or in my case rolling away, to do." This did stop Kyoshi in his tracks. But the look on his face as they went pretty much confirmed to all of them, that they were all going to have to face a real world problem. Soon they were going to have to be as much a complete person out here as they were in the Mirror World.

As the three finally got away from the guy Shima looked up at Yo and asked, "So you want to explain what that was about?"

"That's," Yo started remembering was Nanako said about Shima. "A really long story that I am in the process of fixing. Sorry it got that heated though." She hoped that would be enough to shut down any further questions from her upperclassman. While she got a strange look from Shima, he did seem to drop the subject for her.

"Oh, Shima-senpai you were saying you got some good news from your doctor, right?" Yuuta asked suddenly.

Shima remembered, "Oh right. Doctor called me today and said that my infection is clearing up. I should be back in my prosthetic and kicking ass in a few days. However, it does come with a bit of a condition. I am being given a second prosthetic. It a running leg. I have been ordered to participate in regular running exercises."

"Not a bad exchange for getting to walk around again," Yuuta commented.

Shima nodded. "Neither of you can tell Shiho, alright? I am going to surprise her with it," Shima said aggressively to both of his traveling companions.

"Sheesh, alright," Yuuta replied putting his hands up in surrender.

Yo just laughed and replied, "Whatever you say, senpai." After a moment she asked, "What about your cane? How are you going to run with that?"

Shima's face took on a slightly less happy tone as he replied, "The doctor believes that my infection may have been caused by an over reliance on the cane. My weight being focused on my prosthetic from leaning over on my case caused an excessive amount of irritation. Certainly didn't help that we then started all this Persona shiiii-tuff. So in the next month, I'm supposed to avoid using the cane for 8 hours a day. The the following month that is to increase to 12 hours. Eventually all waking hours will be done without my cane."

"Well we got your back," Yuuta said happily. "And we are sure that Shiho will keep you honest."

"Don't remind me," Shima said with a sarcastic tone. "You would think she was my wife with how steadfast she has been on these issues." While his tone was sarcastic, the smile on his face was genuine. The three continued to walk until they got to Yo's house.

"Thanks again guys," Yo said as she head to her door. "Tomorrow, I am going to try to go to school. Would you guys would be willing to walk with me there?"

"Of course," Yuuta said with a goofy grin.

Shima scoffed and said, "Well if you are done mocking my condition then sure, I could make the effort. Not like Shiho's gonna let me not go anymore."

Yo looked at the two of them and simply smiled. Finally she said, "Good."


	15. Chapter 15: Sitting in the Fire

**Author's Note: Bit of a shorter chapter this time around. The real life problems are much more concise compared to the Mirror World events. Speaking of which, new developments on that side of things coming up in the future. Thanks for sticking around.**

 **~Noxmad**

* * *

Shiho put her hands on Yuuta's head as she shielded him from the people around them. A bruise on his cheek and tears on his face he looked at her with fear in his eyes. She looked up at the people surrounding him. They were students but she only recognized a handful of them from her grade.

"Get out of the way, Suzui-chan. This guy crossed the wrong person," one of the students demanded.

Shiho shook her head and just leaned over Yuuta trying to shield him from them as much as possible. "Whatever," said another. "Just get them both, then." The two of them where then lost in a cloud of white as one of the students sprayed a fire extinguisher on them. As Shiho and Yuuta felt themselves become coated by the white powder, Shiho heard a darkly familiar voice in her mind.

" _There is a fire that is burning in your mind and if you just sit in it, it will make you stronger,"_ the voice said in her mind. It was a strange sensation. Rather than feeling like she was drowning and was being smothered like she had in the past when this voice had spoken to her years ago, she felt motivated to stand her ground. Never again would she be made a victim by her own thoughts. " _You are stronger than you know. Sit in the fire and let it ignite your soul!"_ the voice continued. Shiho held onto Yuuta tighter and just leaned over further to keep him as safe as she possibly could. If only for just a little longer...

* * *

Two days earlier

As agreed upon, Shima and Yuuta arrived at Yo's house. As Shima predicted the day prior, Shiho also showed up with them as she had been there to get him out of his house on time. Yo walked with the three of her schoolmates to school. She felt clear headed and was happy to make her way to school with the people with her. As they walked, she caught Kyoshi watching them as they walked. She shook her head and realized that his stares could not hurt her and she turned her thoughts back to the friends that were accompanying her to school.

The school day seemed to pass by normally. As she was getting ready to head home, she found a letter in her shoe locker by the entrance. In the text was just five simple words. But they sent a shiver down her spine.

 _You brought this on them._

It was written in English and in very nondescript handwriting. Carefully crafted to not look like anything in particular but very rigid and upright lettering. She shoved the note into her school bag and as she began to leave she heard a commotion behind her. She did not dare turn back to the school.

Yuuta however, had a very different day at school. It started when he arrived and had received a piece of paper that simply said "1" on it. It was weird but he had decided to pay it no mind. However, as his day continued he found himself being harassed by older students and even got his in the back of the head by a soccer ball. As he day went on, it seemed to get worse. At the end of the day, he found himself confronted by a group of older students and one of them was very familiar. Kyoshi Yokono was the obvious ringleader of the group and when Yuuta found himself surrounded on the first floor of the building, it caught him off guard.

"Well, well. You seem considerably more coordinated today, Yuuta-kohai," Kyoshi said rather venomously.

Yuuta bowed and said respectfully, "I am sorry about yesterday senpai. I am not used to pushing around Shima-senpai's wheelchair and he only first requested my help yesterday. I will certainly be more careful in the future."

"That isn't good enough, Featherman," one of the other upperclassman said, getting a chuckle from the other teens. "Kyoshi doesn't forgive lightly. You best beg. And the most convincing way to get forgiveness is money. You have been working a job right?"

"I apologize senpai, but I do not have any money to give. It all goes towards supporting my household," Yuuta replied respectfully. Kyoshi however, did not like this answer. He leapt forward and pushed Yuuta back, hand on his throat.

"You are going to give me, all the money you have in your household tomorrow, or this gets worse. More than just soccer balls and getting tripped. And if you tell anyone about this, especially Shima or the faculty, you are going to wish you hadn't because not only can they not help you, but this gets even worse," Kyoshi warned and then he threw Yuuta down on the ground. "No one can save you featherman. No one but me, so you best make this worth my while."

Yuuta was alone soon after and he rubbed his throat trying to ease the pain. He got onto his feet and dragged himself back towards his shoe locker and prepared himself to leave. He knew, he could not bring them any money. But he also knew he couldn't tell anyone about this. He would have to accept the consequences to protect the others and his mom. The following day started off as much of the same. However, when he told Kyoshi that he had no money to give him, the fist to his gut made him realize that they had not been idle threats. Kyoshi told him he had one more chance and the behavior returned to small inconveniences. Yuuta however, continued to stay silent about what was going on.

For Shima, the second day was the longest. Knowing that soon he was going to be able to return to his feet, he was ready to be free of his wheelchair. At the end of the day though, he found a little slip of paper snuck into his bag and written upon it was "2". Shima was not very impressed with it and simply decided to leave the building and pay it no mind. As he left the elevator, he saw Yuuta who looked to be in a foul mood.

"Hey, you alright?" Shima asked as he rolled up to him.

Yuuta looked at him and said, "I'm fine. Just a long day."

"I get that. Let's get going, huh?" Shima said and the two of them began to leave. The trip to Yuuta's house was uneventful and Shima decided to not push the topic since Yuuta clearly did not want to talk about what was eating him. Shima rolled himself home back home and decided to do some prep for the following day. The first day back on his feet and the big surprise for Shiho.

Nanako was concerned. Yuuta was not responding to texts and seemed to be in a really bad mood all day. She decided that before she left school, she needed to try to get some information from her classmates about how his day went. She decided that the best place to try, would be back in her classroom. She made her way back to his desk to see if maybe he left anything for the day. The only thing she found was a small piece of paper that had printed on it '1' and nothing else. Nanako was suspicious of this but needed more. As class president, she felt like it was her role to look out for her classmates more than ever. She approached on the students still in the class.

"Hey, Rin-chan?" Nanako asked her classmate.

"Oh, Nanako-chan! What's going on?" Rin replied.

Nanako with a gentle smile said, "So, I noticed Yuuta was having a bit of a rough day today. Have you noticed anything going?"

"Let's see," Rin thought out loud. "You know, I think at lunch time I saw him get hit by a soccer ball. Some of the older students were involved, I think."

Nanako felt a pit in her stomach at the information she received. "Did any of them happen to be Kyoshi-senpai? The captain of the soccer team?"

"I think that might have him him," Rin answered.

"Thank you very much for the information," Nanako said and she walked away. If Yuuta was being bugged by him, then it had to have something to do with Yo. If it had something to do with Yo, then that means that Kyoshi was going to be very invested to a bad degree based on what she learned. Which meant… she needed to get Shima involved. If he was not there, this problem could get far worse before it ever got better. Even then, Shinji's volatile nature would be hard to reign in for this. She needed to text Yo about this and see if maybe she knew anything about what was going on with Yuuta. _Yo-chan. Please meet me outside your house. I need to talk to you about Yuuta._ Nanako sent the text and made he way out of the school and headed towards Yo house. When she got there, Yo was sitting outside on the front step.

"Nanako-chan, what's going on?" Yo asked.

Nanako started by showing her the piece paper she had found with the number written on it. "Do you have any idea what this is?" Yo looked at it and seemed to pale. She then reached into her school bag on her side and pulled out the note she found in her locket the day before. Showing it to Nanako it seemed like a match. The carefully crafted calligraphy, the identical size of the paper, and even the ink was from the same pen.

"Yo-chan, do you know why Kyoshi-senpai would have a problem with Yuuta?" Nanako asked and as if in a moment of realization, Yo's eye watered up.

"Oh no," Yo said and then she hugged Nanako. "Yuuta and Shima helped me when I left my house the other day. I need to clear my head so I went for a walk. While I was up on the hill that overlooks the town, I got approached by Kyoshi and friends. I tried to walk away from him, but he followed me, and then tried to get physical with me when I kept trying to leave. I guess Yuuta and Shima noticed because the next thing I know, Yuuta and Shima come bowling through Kyoshi and began escorting me away. Kyoshi was so angry."

"So he plans on going after Shima too then," Nanako commented. Then looking around she thought out loud, "And now probably me, if he has seen any part of me looking into this issue. This isn't good."

"Oh no, I can't believe this," Yo said getting more and more upset and her body started shaking as she held back her sobs. "You guys shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Yo-chan, we are your friends. And you need us now more than ever. Once we deal with this Kyoshi situation we will all sit down and laugh about this later," Nanako said to her grabbing her hand and steadying her. "Let me contact Shima since he already involved and maybe we can work on getting this resolved." Nanako still holding Yo's hand to calm her, began dialing a number. After two rings she heard the phone answer and guitar strumming. It sounded a little odd but she remembered him making a comment on learning how to play the instrument.

"Ah, screw it. Hello?" Shima finally answered. Nanako could tell she was on speakerphone.

"Shima-senpai? Is this a bad time?" Nanako asked.

"Good a time as any," Shima replied. "What's up, Nanako?"

"Listen, we have a situation. Involving Kyoshi-senpai? I am pretty certain now that he has been bullying Yuuta-kun and maybe getting ready to target you as well," Nanako told him. "This is related to the situation from the other day?"

Shima sighed. "Of course it is, look have Yuuta come to my house immediately tomorrow and I will get him to school."

"Yuuta isn't answering his phone, senpai. I think he trying to handle this alone," Nanako said understandably upset. Yo squeezed her hand trying to be supportive to her as well. "I will try to see if I can get him to head your way tomorrow."

"Good, if not I will find him," Shima said to her. "Stay safe Nanako. I'll help deal with this as soon as I can."

"Thank you, Shima." Nanako hung up her call and she just sat with Yo.

* * *

Shiho was not expecting to come across the sight of Yuuta being ganged up on by her classmates. He was being beaten by the older students. She ran forward and pushed her way into the fray and threw herself over her younger friend. This forced the older students to back off for a moment and so she dragged Yuuta's head up onto her lap as she knelt on the ground with him and kept him covered. The bruises on his face, the soreness of his muscles was now obvious up close. She was so concerned about him that she ignored the voices of the classmates around her. It did not matter what they were saying to him or to her. So even when the white powder took over her vision and the color of her clothes, she stayed strong.

" _There is a fire that is burning in your mind and if you just sit in it, it will make you stronger."_

" _You are stronger than you know. Sit in the fire and let it ignite your soul!"_

Tap. Clack. Slap.

"Hey, assholes!" shouted out a voice that Shiho was glad to hear. Covered in fire retardant powder, she looked up to see Shima standing. Looking down, she saw him back in his prosthetic and it was the best sight she had seen in weeks.

Shima planted his fist in the closest students face. With his cane to balance, he lashed out with his good foot and piston kicked another student's hip making him crumple to the floor. Snatching the fire extinguisher from another student he swung the tank and the impact flipped another student half over. The students began to disperse from the scene, but one in particular put his hands up in fists and stood his ground. Shima was seeing red at this point and forward lunge landed him punch to the face and a follow up centered on his chest. His vision focusing on what was happening made him realize that Kyoshi had been the only one to stay and he had a stance like a trained fighter. Dropping the fire extinguisher, Shima focused in and found himself mentally steeling himself for a fight against someone who actually knew how to fight back. Not an impossible fight to win, but one that required him to be much more attentive to his opponent. Besides, it was not like the fact that they were trained saved the last one when this situation came up.

Shima dashed forward and ducked under a jab, dropping his cane. Lunging forward he planted his shoulder into Kyoshi's torso. As he began to push him back, he felt the knee planted into his chest. Pushing past the pain, Shima finally toppled him. The two of them scuffled on the ground, Shima planted a couple of meaty punches to Kyoshi's face before he was finally kicked off. The two of them both struggled back to their feet and stood opposite of each other. Shima scooped up his cane as he got his feet beneath him.

"Kyoshi," Shima said menacingly. "Which part of letting us walk away did you not understand?" He relaxed his muscles and put himself in a considerably more neutral pose. This whole exchange happening in an alley between two blocks of houses meant that they were not likely to get any outside assistance. But one look over at Shiho and her form shielding Yuuta made him determined to win this fight. He would not lose this fight. Not after everything she did here to protect Yuuta. Not after getting sprayed by fire retardant.

"What can I say, as a high school soccer star, I am pretty used to being respected. Not that you can really relate to either of those things, right?" Kyoshi replied with venom dripping off his words. However, Shima just smirked as he realized something. All this time, he had spent his high school years solving problems with violence and never really stopping to look at a larger picture. Even if he beat Kyoshi right now, chances were that nothing would actually change. So, Shima decided to take a page from Nanako's playbook and decided to use a far more dangerous weapon, words.

"You know, in the past I probably would have gone into a blind rage at a comment like that. But you know you made me realize that you really aren't worth my time. Because at the end of the day, you are a small town superstar that is going to get punched in the face by reality after graduation harder than I could ever hit you. So you know what, I will give you the chance to walk away now so you can at least continue living your fantasy. But if you don't let this end now, I will not let you have that opportunity. Your leg will be mine," Shima explained calmly and he tapped his cane in his hand. The slight drop in confidence was all Shima needed to know that he was pushing the right buttons. But Kyoshi's pride would not let him leave just like that, Shima knew it. So he kept himself in a battle ready position in case Kyoshi decided to come after him.

"What do you know about me?" Kyoshi asked like a cornered animal.

Shima sighed and his gaze softened. "Let me guess, soccer has been the only major skill you have had. You do decent in school and you have dreams of being a huge soccer star in the UK or the USA. So the only class you excel at is English. Welcome to a look in the mirror," he explained.

Kyoshi's stance relaxed and he even had a strangely impressed look on his face. "That is scary accurate," Kyoshi admitted.

"Look, I don't want to be at odds with you. But you shouldn't be lashing out at people while you still have your dream. You could prove me wrong. But the bad attitude I have comes from years of being under the feet of people whose dreams can still come true. Many people whose futures became just a little more guaranteed since I was no longer in their way. Yet I am still here despite all that. Don't throw away your pride over petty shit like this," Shima continued. He also dropped his aggressive stance.

Kyoshi just dropped his shoulders. "You sure you're not good at school?" Kyoshi asked with a bitter smile.

"It isn't smarts. I've been at the top. I'm now at the bottom. It's just perspective," Shima said with a downtrodden look. Kyoshi began to walk away from the scene. Shima's shoulders dropped in relief. Kyoshi disappeared beyond a corner and Shima moved over to Shiho. He began to brush off her face from the powder and as he finished he gave her a kiss on the lips and as he pulled away Shiho saw tears of relief building in Shima's eyes but he kept blinking them away as he tried to stay strong. Shiho looked down at Yuuta and saw that his face was mostly unaffected though his hair was coated in the powder.

"Thanks senpai," Yuuta whispered through labored breaths. Shiho leaned over him again and embraced him like he was a life preserver and she was out at sea. The fire inside of her continued to burn as she held onto the friend she had just saved. Shima rested his hand on her shoulder and leaned over them both like he was shielding them. Yuuta after a moment also added, "Shima-senpai, I thought you were really cool too."


End file.
